The Lost Girl
by NewWriter557
Summary: Prequel to As Time Goes On: Esme finds herself in Storybrooke, and has no idea how she got there. On the run from the Empress of her homeland, will Esme be able to escape her in Storybrooke or will the reason she was brought there be worse than the fate she had been running from?
1. Chapter 1

She woke up with a startle. Her head throbbed, her arms ached and her legs were covered in scratches and bruises; and that was before she opened her eyes. Once that happened everything went spiralling. Sunlight flooded into her eyes, birds screeched and she didn't recognise anything about her surroundings. She was lying on dirt and was surrounded by huge trees that didn't have many leaves. Along with her whole body aching as she tried to move, her heart started racing so much she thought it was going to break through her ribs! Where was she? Sitting up tentatively , she tried to think. This definitely wasn't Colden Woods, thank goodness. She knew every single inch of that wood, primarily because it was so small but also because she had grown up so close to it, it was practically her backyard. For years it had been her safe haven, but in recent years it had become a prison. So if this wasn't Colden, where was it? She had arrived in random places before but she had always intended to go there and remembered the journey; she had to, she was no witch so had to protect the people who helped her flee. She didn't recognise anything so consoled herself with the fact that she wasn't in Messene. She vowed she would never return there the second she left and from the gossip she had heard, she was pretty sure she couldn't. But if she wasn't in Messene, where was she? How did she get there? More importantly, why didn't she remember? She had a million questions racing through her head but lying on the ground wasn't going to get any of them answered so she half walked half dragged herself to a rock nearby. She used the opportunity to drink in her surroundings. The trees were still rustling as the breeze blew and the birds sang to one another; she may have found it quite peaceful if she wasn't so confused. She slowly stood up and began to walk. She didn't know exactly where she was going but that didn't matter, she needed to do something other than sit and wallow. As she walked deeper and deeper into this forrest, she found more things that dazzled her. Trees that looked ancient but strong, acres of wild flowers that danced as a breeze flowed through them and she swore she saw fairies whirling through the air. She saw burnt ground that had been left by a campfire in the area where she landed and upon exploring more of the forrest she could understand why this place was used for camping; it really was beautiful. She was so distracted by the beauty that she didn't notice the a ridge; she tumbled down the hill, crashing into roots of trees and branches before finally stopping when she hit level ground. If she wasn't in pain before, she sure as hell was now. Her headache that had disappeared during her hours spent walking was back with a vengeance and she was pretty certain one of the things she rolled over cracked one of her ribs. Once again the world was spinning. 'What the hell?!" she thought. 'This whole world spinning thing is getting real frickin' old…" she murmured as she fumbled for something to help her get up. She slowly crawled across the floor until her hand hit what seemed like a wall. She slowly turned her head and noticed it was a well. "About frickin' time" Esme whispered as she slowly got to her knees, waiting a second until the world stopped spinning. She hadn't realised how thirsty she was until she saw the pool of water at the bottom of the well. As she began to twirl the handle, she prayed that the water was clean or at least drinkable. When the little bucket finally came within reach she grasped it feverishly, inspected the water then drank until there was no more left. Just as she was lowering the bucket back down for some more water, she began to feel funny; it was a feeling she was well used to.

 _She heard screaming. No. Not screaming. Laughing? Yes, laughter. But not a happy, childlike laugh. It was more like a menacing laugh. The kind of laugh that strikes fear into the hearts of the good yet is the victory song of the villain. She saw nothing though. Just colours. Green and black swirls all intertwined , continuously moving like a river of smoke._

As quickly as the vision came, it left. It could only have lasted a couple of seconds but its occurrence at all terrified Esme. She was used to her visions, and was usually able to control them, but her exhaustion seemed to have weakened her mentally, just enough for her to lose control of them slightly. She usually travelled to realms that she knew had magic, so that her visions were one thing she did have to worry about, but she was unsure of this place and so tried to act as normal as possible after. Magic wasn't present in Messene but it was feared, and had been for generations. Anyone who had been accused of sorcery was imprisoned or killed, depending on the threat they posed. Esmerelda had always been scared of being discovered and that fear remained instilled within her. She had been on the run for two years now; she was used to navigating foreign lands and although, granted, she was usually fully in control of her journey, she wasn't in Messene. This meant she was safe. But just as she was using the well to pull herself up, she felt something. The weather. It was changing. Quickly. The sky had gone from dar blue to black in seconds, the wind was gaining momentum and there was thunder that sounded like all of the souls in the sky were at war. Esme was scared; she had no shelter to protect herself from a storm of this magnitude. It was then that she heard the screams. People were yelling but she couldn't make out what they were saying. She knew it was stupid but she started running towards the voices. She ran for a few minutes, using all of the energy that she could muster but had to stop running and start walking when she came to a road. Her body hadn't recovered, she hadn't slept and she hadn't drank or eaten all day. She saw a sign that read 'Welcome to Storybrook" and a long road ahead. This little sight filled her with relief. She knew where she was! Well she didn't actually know where she was but the place she had found herself in had a name and she now knew what that was. It took the uncertainty out of her situation slightly which renewed her strength. She was still wanted to set up camp for the night but all roads lead to somewhere right? She decided she would walk until she could walk no more, which wouldn't be very far with the way she was feeling. The storm was getting stronger, and the wind almost carried her down the road which Esme was actually quite grateful for. The shouts were getting louder as she travelled down the road and it was then that she saw something in the distance. When she got closer, she saw something black enveloping a blonde woman with five other people standing around her totally helpless. It was black swirls dancing around her, much like the ones Esme had seen in her vision but there was no green anywhere. It was a horrible sight and Esme desperately wanted to help but her body was suddenly overcome by something. It wasn't a vision, nor was it anything magical, it was her body telling her she had put it through far too much and within seconds of seeing this image of a woman being attacked she fell to the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

She woke up to seven very small men surrounding her. She sat up with a startle and started to claw her way away but they wouldn't let her.

"Chill, chill lady! We're not going to hurt you," one said.

"Y-Y-Yes. I-I can assure y-y-you that you are really q-q-q-quite safe," stuttered another.

"Who are you?!" Shouted one man - who was holding an axe.

"Grumpy, thats not exactly helping our case is it?" one tried to explain but it was this man who was blocking her way out of the circle these men had trapped her in. So when he turned to talk to the one he called Grumpy, Esme took the opportunity and ran. She had no energy left but the adrenaline seemed to stop that message being sent from her head to her legs so they just kept moving until she came into a town. The men chased after her; some were pleading with her to stop, others were demanding it but she didn't trust them. They had weapons and for all she knew, had learned about what she was and were going to take her to Zoe. She wasn't going to let that happen. She turned around to see how far ahead she was of the men but crashed into something and fell to the ground. "Ouch!", she shouted as the impact brought all of her injuries back to life. She looked to see what she had bumped into and saw a young boy. Probably around 13 or 14 years old. She had made his bag pack open and all of his things were sprawled across the ground. "I am so sorry, sweetheart! Are you okay?" she tried to say as quickly as possible. She had a good lead on the men but didn't want them to get too close so she helped him gather up her things as quickly as possible. "Yeah i'm fine don't worry about it. Are you okay?" he said. He looked at her with huge sad eyes that had clearly seen great sorrow. "You're not from here are you? Do…" She heard the shouts of the men coming again so ran before he could finish his question. "I'm glad you're okay" she shouted back to him before running some more. She ran to her right into the woods again and hid behind a tree. The young man ran after her but she had such a head start on him he lost track of her quickly. She watched him. He was scouring the woods and had this look on his face she hadn't seen in a while; concern. After a few moments of searching and shouting, the young man gave up and walked back along the road. Esme wasn't exactly sure what he was doing on a road beside a wood but figured it had something to do with the reason his eyes were so red from crying. She felt like she should return his concern (and was curious) so decided to follow him as far as she could without being detected. So she did. She remained a few strides behind him and remained in the trees but had to stop when the woods finished and she saw a small town. She allowed the young man to walk on while she stayed in the woods. She was so hungry and thirsty. She had had nothing to eat or drink since yesterday. She saw a cafe a few meters in the distance and was seriously contemplating entering before someone jumped up beside her.

"Boo", barked a young boy in his scariest voice, grabbing her arm as if to steady her form the fall he had anticipated.

"What the…", she shouted before grabbing him by the shoulders. The move was instinct and she immediately let go when she realised how terrified the little boy was. "Honey, i'm so sorry! Are you okay? You just scared me a little, thats all" she said in her softest voice.

"Roland!" shouted a man from the distance. The little boy ran towards him and the man lifted him up into his arms. "I do apologise miss, he gets a little boisterous when we are in the woods." He paused for a brief moment. Just long enough for him to study the young lady. She had long dark brown hair but it was tangled and had leaves through it and she had several cuts and bruises to her arms, head and legs. But it was her clothes that gave her away. They were more like something from the enchanted forrest than the 'normal' world. "Can we be of any assistance, young lady? Forgive me, but you seem a little lost", he said before extending his hand.

She didn't know what it was about the man that made her feel comfortable, but Esme was willing to at least let him help her find food and water. Anyway, he could hardly take her captive while carrying a 5 year old so she was pretty sure she was safe for the time being. She took the mans hand and allowed him to help her up from her crouch stance behind the tree. They walked up onto the road; they were in the open which made Esme feel safer.

"So what's your name sir? I tend not to walk with random strangers," she said, trying to sound much more confident than she actually felt.

He chuckled, then said, "Robin, ma' lady. Robin Hood. And this is my son, Roland." He paused for a brief moment and looked at her expectantly.

"Well. Its nice to meet you both." She knew he was expecting her to give him her name but that was all she felt comfortable enough to say for two reasons. One: she wasn't sure if she could trust this man and so she didn't want to endanger herself. On the other hand, he seemed kind, and unfortunately most of the people who had helped her in the past couple of years had 'gone missing' so she didn't want to endanger him or his son by giving them more information than was absolutely necessary. This way, if anyone came looking, he could honestly say he didn't know anyone called Esme.

They walked along the road until they came to a small town square; the same one she had seen from much farther away last night. Esme stopped. There was a cafe, some buildings and a clocktower to her right and some shops to her left. She felt slightly overwhelmed. She was no stranger to moving land but she always knew where she would end up and had scouted the place for weeks before hand; she made sure she knew who was safe to talk to, where it was safe to go and how long she could stay there without being detected. She knew nothing about this place or these people and now she was surrounded.

"Henry!", shouted Robin. Esme hadn't noticed but a young man was walking down the road. Esme found it very odd; Robin clearly knew the young man, but ignored him as if he didn't. "I'm so sorry to leave you here, but I have to go. If you nee anything, anything at all, go to Granny's just over there and ask for Robin Hood". He said all of this very quickly and while running after the young man so Esme only heard 'Granny's' and 'Robin Hood'. She looked around and realised Granny's was the name of the cafe on the left. "Okaaaayy…..Well here it goes…" she mumbled to herself as she slowly started walking towards Granny's. As stupid and surreal as it all felt to walk into some random place at the suggestion of a stranger, she needed somewhere to stay and something to eat so what other option did she have? Although as she got closer she realised she needn't have worried as there was a closed sign on the door with a handwritten 'Gone to town hall for meeting' sign below it. "Great. Thats just great", she grumbled. She wasn't looking forward to the stares but sh was starving and really wanted some food. She went to see if there was anywhere else she could get some but gave up when she saw that this place was like a ghost town. 'Well that's a meeting i definitely will not be going to", she thought. She was surveying the street when she noticed a window open at Granny's. She ran over quickly, climbed in and looked around. Nobody was here and something from the kitchen smelled amazing. Pie! She had no idea what kind of pie but she genuinely didn't care she lifted it and a fork anyway. "Aw crap!", she said. She had just realised she had no money to pay for it with and she was many things, but a thief wasn't one of them. She noticed a pen and a notebook sitting on the counter when she left the kitchen and quickly thought of Robin Hood. She began to write 'Robin Hood will pay for the missing pie" she quickly wrote. After all, he did say if she needed anything he would help , and she needed food. She was just about to leave before she quickly scribbled 'thanks' at the bottom of the note. Jumping out the window while keeping her delicious pie intact was not as easy as she had presumed but she did it, then walked straight back to the forrest.


	3. Chapter 3

The forrest, for whatever reason, seemed safe to her. At the least, it was safer than a town full of people. For all she knew, the Empress Zoe had set a trap for her here and after three years of evading her, Esme didn't want to be dragged back to Messene. Messene was a fishing town that constantly seemed to be at war with someone. Some wanted the islands rich oil resources, some wanted access to the profitable exotic fish and some simply wanted the emperor and empress dead; to be honest Esme fully understood why. When she was little, she loved the place but as she got older, it became more and more like a prison. A prison with two very scary guard dogs.

When she was deep into the forrest, she found a hollowed log and quickly found a place she could sit and eat in peace. She didn't realise how hungry she was until she took the first mouthful of pie. Its lattice crust was sweet and crusty while the rhubarb filling was tangy and juicy; before long, Esme had eaten half of it and savoured every mouthful. She was just about to dive into the other half of the delicious pie when there was a knock on the log. Esme paused. She had no option other than to run; she just had to decide which way. She was about to chose left, as it was the closest, but was stopped by a young man.

He poked his head into the log and said, "You could share that you know". When he saw the confused and startled look on the young woman's face he joked, "Who are you hiding from?"

Esme wasn't exactly sure what to do. But then she noticed his rucksack; this was the boy Robin and run after in the street. "I could ask the same for you," she said dubiously.

The young man seemed to take this as an invitation and quickly entered the log. He studied Esme for a few seconds, extended his hand and said, "I'm Henry".

Esme was surprised, and impressed, by his politeness but that didn't change the fact that he was a stranger. Usually when she came to a new place, she kept herself to herself, spoke to as little people as possible, found a way to leave and then left. She didn't choose to be a loner but it had to be that way. One reason was that if leaders found out she was a seer, they could use her the same way Cyrus and Zoe wanted to; as a tool. Nothing is more valuable to a realm at war than a person who can preempt the opponents moves. Another was that Zoe and Cyrus would kill anyone she got close to; this was something Esme had experience of and was determined not to let it happen again. Despite all of this, she didn't want to be rude to a young man who was clearly fighting his own battle.

"Well, its nice to meet you Henry," Esme said with a smile and shook his hand.

There was a few more seconds of pause before he asked, "So, can I have some of Granny's pie, or am I gonna' to have to watch you eat the whole thing? Because that's just cruel."

Esme couldn't help but giggle. She handed him her fork and the rest of the pie and watched as he demolished it almost as fast as she had. She also took that time to study Henry. His clothes had a little dirt on them, his eyes were slightly bloodshot and his dark hair was tousled and windswept.

"So Henry, there was a man looking for you earlier. Did he find you?"

"Oh. That was just Robin. And no. I'm not in the mood to talk to anyone right now."

"You're talking to me."

"You seem like you need someone to talk to." Then he gave her a smile that warmth seemed to radiate from. She really, really could do with someone to talk to. In the space of one day, she had landed in a random realm, she didn't know how she got there and was the prey of two psychos who were probably behind it all. Then she reminded herself that if the Emperor and Empress were behind this, they could hurt Henry so the less he knew, the more protected he was.

"Well thanks kid, but i'm gonna have to go…", Esme said as she slowly started to sit up.

"No you don't", he interrupted.

"What?"

"You don't have to go. You don't have anywhere to go, do you?"

Esme was stunned.

"I'm not gonna push anything, but we can help you?"

"Why do you think I need help?"

"You are stuffing your face with in a log, you're covered in dirt and have cuts all over your arms. Oh and you won't tell me your name. That's a pretty big clue that you're used to hiding from something."

"I'm not hiding," she said defiantly. She then noticed Henry's dubious expression and amended her statement to "I'm running."

"From who?"

"Henry, believe me, it is much safer for you if you don't know anything. I need to figure out who brought me here and why but I am doing that on my own."

"But I can hel…."

"No Henry! Look, you seem like a nice kid and i'm sorry for whatever you're going through but I promise you, the danger and drama that seem to follow me are so much worse than the thing you've got going on here."

"Oh really? So the person chasing you is more dangerous than The Dark One possessing your mom?"

"What? When?"

"Last night. Thats why i'm running. One of my moms is the darkest being in all of the realms and the other is the almost died because the author tried to kill her a few hours before."

"One of your moms?", asked Esme with a puzzled look on her face.

Henry laughed before saying, "Long story."

"Henry i'm so sorry. Is that why you're all dirty? I'm guessing you didn't sleep in your bed?"

"I just couldn't go home again. When mom told me just bolted. I mean, it was stupid I know but I needed time to think. And now I can't really go back home, mom will kill me."  
"Okay kid, I just need to check this. You have two moms. One is now possessed with the dark one and the other is probably out of her mind worrying because you slept in a log last night instead of in your bed?"

"Yeah thats pretty much it," he said. He looked so defeated and overwhelmed and understandably so. She thought he was having girl trouble but this? This was a lot for any boy his age to have to deal with. She couldn't say or do anything that would help him; she was still processing it all herself and she didn't even know any of these people involved. She didn't say anything to Henry but was that what her vision yesterday was about? The black swirls; were they the dark one? She couldn't be sure, usually her visions were much clearer, but it was a possibility. She wanted to help but didn't know what to do; she was determined to keep her distance to protect the people of this town. It wasn't their fault she had landed there so she couldn't let Zoe and Cyrus destroy them like they had before. In the end, what she did was bigger than any uplifting, rehearsed speech about conquering evil and the importance of having faith.

She extended her hand and said, "I'm Esme".


	4. Chapter 4

Henry smiled. He had a feeling that this gesture that he considered to be small, was huge for Esme; he appreciated her effort to make him feel a little less alone.

He shook her hand and repeated the phrase Esme had replied to him with; "Nice to meet you Esme."

"Okay Henry, I know it's none of my business but its probably a good idea if you go home. I doubt your mom will actually kill you", she said with a little smile.

"Only if you come with me."

"What?"

"For whatever reason, you need help Esme and if I can't help you, my mom can."

"Henry, you can't help me. To help me, you will need to know what more about me and i'm not gonna tell you. I know it seems dramatic but it's too dangerous and i'm not putting innocent people at risk."

"Aren't we already at risk? If this big baddy is as good at tracking you as you think, won't she realise that you are here and come looking for you?"

Esme hadn't thought about that. She looked at Henry with a confused expression which quickly turned to worry.

"Umm well yeah….no..no! If Zoe comes looking and nobody has actually seen me…"

"She'll just leave?"

"No. She won't believe you. Crap. Your mom. Do you really think she can help me? All I need her to do is help me find out why i'm here."

"What if it has nothing to do with Zoe?"

"Then I guess I have another enemy. Either way I need to figure it out why i'm here." sighed Esme as she began to get up.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm not going anywhere. We are gonna go to your mom. If nothing else, she needs to know you're okay", said Esme as she crawled out of the log.

"Umm, well now probably isn't the best time to ask for her help. Emma, my other mom, was her friend and she kinda blames herself for what happened. And she's gonna me majorly mad at me."

Esme laughed before saying, "Henry, you seem like a good kid. I'm sure she wont be mad at you for long. And I'm really only going to make sure you get home. I think i'll maybe go to the library. You have one of those here right?"

Henry crawled out of the log after Esme and replied, "Oh yeah. It's on the way."

Esme noticed Henry seemed a little nervous. He was ringing his hands and looking at the floor as the two walked towards the main street.

"You okay kid?"

"I'm fine. How do you know where you're going? You haven't been here long enough to be able to know the routes?"

Esme laughed. "That's true! I guess i'm getting better at it. I've had a couple of years practice." She hadn't meant to tell him that and Henry knew it. The second she said it, she subtly looked around nervously as if to check if anyone had overheard. Henry thought to himself that it must be awful to be so suspicious and nervous. Could she ever just turn off? It was a a huge deal for her just to tell him her name; she must be so alone.

Henry knew he probably shouldn't but he wanted to know; "You've been running for two years?"

"You noticed that one then," she laughed. "Yeah, I have."

"So how have you managed to stay away from her for so long? Do you move realm?"

Esme felt so relieved at the sound of the word realm. If Henry knew about realms, it meant he knew about magic and this, along with the mention of the dark one, meant there was magic here.

"Sometimes. I usually try to travel by sea or land though. I don't have the kind of magic you need to create a portal and whenever I had help, the witch always… Well they always ended up hurt or.. well. Or worse."

"What happened to them?", asked Henry. He had a completely innocent look on his face, utterly unprepared for the harrowing answer he had asked Esme to provide him with. Esme paused for a second and concluded that he was not to know. She would tell him things she deemed necessary to find out why she was here, but she wouldn't scare him into obedience so she simply said, "they were dealt with by the Emperor and Empress". But the question did made Esme remember the three witches she had met who had been kind enough to help her. Two were only 24, 3 years older than her, technically and they disappeared. The last time she travelled by portal, the portal was kept open using blood magic so that only she could use it. When she went back to see how the land was, she was ambushed by Zoe, Cyrus and their band of followers. The witch was dead; a fact Zoe ensured Esme she tried to capture her. Esme was well used to Zoe's plans and ambushes but this one was different. Zoe displayed the witch like a trophy. She was lying on the ground, her eyes facing Esme, and was surrounded by the people who no doubt murdered her. Zoe had clearly wanted this to stun Esme long enough for her men to cuff her and it very nearly worked. The sound of the cuffs shot fear through every inch of Esme's body and had the cuffs not jangled when the men made their move, Esme would have been back in the prison she used to call home.

Henry was confused, "If you don't have the kind of power to create a portal and you didn't have the help of another witch, how did you get here?"

"That's what I need to find out." Esme had thought of that the second she landed. She realised earlier that the scorch mark near where she landed wasn't made by a campfire, it was from a portal. It had to be. But if she didn't make it who did?

The conversation continued, Henry asked a lot of questions and Esme gave very little answers, until they reached the main street. Esme stopped and Henry noticed her body tense up; she seemed vulnerable out in the open like this.

"No one will hurt you here. We've never heard of 'The Empress'. Trust me, its a very small town, a title like 'The Empress' would get some attention," he joked.

Esme looked at him and laughed before moving forward. She wasn't sure about the whole 'nobody would hurt you' part but if Zoe was a behind her being here, she would have made her move by now. Patience wasn't a quality Zoe possessed and Esme had been here over a day.

"Well now that you've asked me a million questions, can I ask you something?" Esme asked Henry.

"Sure. Fire away," he said smiling.

"You don't seem all that worried about your mom, well one of your moms, being the dark one. I mean, even we heard of the dark one in Messene and we are very small island in a totally different realm" said Esme. Although, the she wished she had stopped much sooner; emphasising the danger that the dark one posed probably wasn't her best idea.

"I guess i'm not. It sucks but if anyone can fight it, its my mom. And we know what we have to do to get rid of it so…."

"And what is that?"

"We have to find Merlin."

"Merlin? I've never heard of him."

"Then I guess we don't have to look in Messene," Henry chuckled.

Esme found his confidence odd. Inspiring and amazing, but odd. However the more they talked, the more she realised he wasn't ignorant to the danger, he was overwhelmed. One of his moms nearly died and now one was dark. Esme was 20 and would have struggled with everything he had to deal with and so she couldn't imagine how he felt so she changed the subject; she asked about school, his family, what he liked and what he didn't. By the time they arrived at Henry's house, Esme felt like she had known him for years. She enjoyed talking to Henry. Ever since Theodora, the last witch who helped her, was killed Esme tended not to associate with people any more than she had to. She had been alone so much that she forgot what it was like to have someone just to talk to.

Her moment of calm and brief glimpse of happiness quickly disappeared when she and Henry heard a man's voice shout 'Regina!' from inside the house.


	5. Chapter 5

"Mom!" screamed Henry. He bolted down the path and straight through his front door and Esme wasn't far behind him. They were greeted by Robin, who she recognised from earlier, kneeling down beside a dark haired woman, brushing her hair away from her face, holding her hand and telling her "it's gonna be okay, my love" even though Esme was fairly certain the lady was unconscious. Henry raced to be beside the woman Esme assumed was his mother, and immediately took her hand. All Esme could do was stand there, helpless.

"What happened?!" implored Henry.

"I don't know! She has been in bed all morning with a pain in her head, not helped by the fact she was out all night looking for you by the way, but she said she felt better. I made us some lunch and we were just about to eat in the lounge when she fainted! Henry mate, go call the doctor" he pleaded.

"I'll do that!" said Esme, grateful for something to do to help. She saw Robin look at her so she said, "Hello again" to which he quickly smiled before immediately returning his focus to Regina.

"Where's Roland?", she heard Henry ask while she was waiting for the doctor to answer.

"He's with Will. I'll call him and ask if he can keep him a little longer."

"The doctor said he'll be right over," Esme said.

Just as Esme said this, Regina started moving slightly and making little noises. Robin looked intensely at her, studying every inch of her face to make sure she was alright and Henry was doing the same. Henry and Robin looked at Regina for a few moments until she started to come around. She croaked, "Henry?".

"Mom! Mom, i'm here! I'm right here. I'm so so sorry!", Henry said with tears welling up in his eyes. Esme had completely forgotten; if this was his mother, he had already watched her nearly die barely over a day ago, he must be terrified. This explained why he was squeezing her hand so tight his knuckles were white. Esme felt totally useless just standing there staring while Henry and Robin were worried but she didn't know what to do.

As Regina came around more, she grasped Henry's hand tighter and raised her hand until she was Robins face, trying to reassure them both she was fine.

"H-Henry", she croaked, "you… are so grounded." she tried to laugh a little but that must have hurt her head as she winced and stopped.

Henry and Robin laughed and Henry gave his mom a kiss on the forehead while Robin raised her head until it was placed in his lap, doing so as if he was lifting a dandelion when there was a breeze. With that, there was a knock on the door.

"Would you mind answering that….?" Robin asked, his focus never leaving Regina; he was studying her every little move, running his fingers delicately across her face and smiling with her as she began to get stronger.

"Esme?" Henry finished. Esme hadn't noticed but she probably looked very creepy standing there staring at the family, but she was mesmerised. She couldn't remember the last time she had scene people surrounded by that much love; she never stayed anywhere long enough to notice.

"Me? Oh yeah sure!", she said as she fumbled to stand up and ran to the door. She was standing awkwardly in the middle of the hallway so was glad of something to do. She opened it and greeted the man with an awkward smile. The man looked confused but Esme didn't want to explain her very long and odd story so she just opened the door to let the man in. He entered and went straight to Regina who seemed annoyed about all the fuss now that she had pretty much recovered.

"Wha- Seriously? I'm fine. I fainted. I did almost get possessed by the dark one, honey, that's bound to have side affects. ", she said to Robin as she started to get up. Robin was having none of this. He immediately eased her head back onto his lap.

"Yes seriously. Regina, this could be serious! I need to make sure you're okay! so for god sake just lie there and let the doctor look you over." he said with a mixture of insistence and pleading in his voice. Regina looked sarcastically at him with a flirtatious grin that seemed to make Henry slightly uncomfortable, as he shifted slightly beside his mother.

"Please", Robin said returning her smile before leaning down and gently kissing her.

Regina seemed to relent and allowed the doctor to perform his inspection which only took few minutes. Through all of this, Robin and Henry never left Regina's side, they were kneeling down beside her, holding her hand, but Esme stood awkwardly near the door. This kept her out of Regina's eye-line until the doctor cleared her and Robin allowed her to sit up.

As Robin perched himself against the arch way into the living room, he pulled Regina in close to him and she leant against him quite happily. He quickly sent Henry to go and get Regina some water and the doctor left, which meant that there was no one in the hallway except Regina, Robin and Esme.

"Who's she?" Regina asked, clearly asking Robin but looking directly at Esme.

"Oh this. This is..?", she realised she hadn't introduced herself the first time they had met and Robin had been too preoccupied on Regina to catch her name.

"Esme." Esme replied. "Well technically Esmerelda but thats so long and sounds fancy so i'm just Esme." She realised she was probably rambling but she had barely spoken to people in years and when she did, it was purposeful. She had a task that needed fulfilled and so she spoke about that task to people who could help her; small talk wasn't her thing. She also realised this was a very bad time to ask for help; the woman was ill and probably just wanted to be with her family, not helping some random girl who she was probably already very suspicious of.

Regina looked so intensely at her, Esme felt as if she could feel the heat of her glare.

"Why are you here?" Regina asked, with a hint of venom behind the question.

"Oh.. Um…Well I…"

"She needs our help", piped in Henry, returning with his mothers glass of water. "I mixed in that juice that you like", he said before giving his mother a kiss on the cheek and then going to stand beside Esme. She looked very uncomfortable standing in the middle of the hallway and Henry thought she could use some moral support.

"'Our' help?" Esme asked with surprise and a quizzing stare at Henry. She thought Henry would have grasped the danger she could be putting them in.

"Our help", Henry replied definitively returning her stare with a look of conviction.

"Help with what exactly," Regina said in a tone that clearly indicated she expected an answer.

"She needs to find out why she's here. She came by a portal but doesn't remember how and doesn't know why."

"Don't you think we have enough things to deal with right now, honey?" Regina asked Henry in a sweet voice and with warm eyes but Esme caught her exasperated look. "No offence," she said looking at Esme, although she did;t seem particularly apologetic.

"Oh! None taken." Esme replied with a genuine smile. She completely understood and she felt stupid even standing here, forcing her problems on people who clearly had plenty of their own.

"But mom-"

"Henry not now," she said as she began to get up.

"Regina sit down!" implored Robin but Regina was already starting to get up but she was struggling so Esme stepped forward to help her up. She extended her hand; Regina paused for a second, looked at Esme before seemingly arriving at the conclusion she was okay so she took it. But the second Regina grasped Esme's hand, something that felt like a huge electric shock went racing through their hands; the only thing to two could do was let go. Regina fell back into the arms of a very worried and Esme fell backwards onto the hallway floor, both of them holding their hands, studying each other. What was that?


	6. Chapter 6

The two women continued to stare at each other for what seemed like forever.

"When did you come here?" asked Regina with a forced calmness in her voice.

"Yesterday." replied Esme, still confused about what had just happened.

Suddenly Regina raised her hand before Esme could blink and Esme couldn't breathe. She was grasping at her throat but there was nothing there; she was desperately trying to breathe but she was not suspended in mid-air and had no way of breathing.

"Why are you here?" shouted Regina.

"Mom! Stop she hasn't done anything!" cried Henry.

"Regina!" shouted Robin.

"You don't think its odd that she arrived here the day the dark one tried to possess me than possessed Emma. She could be dark."

Esme was feverishly shaking her head but she began to feel a darkness descend on her; her eyes felt heavy, too heavy to keep open much longer. She hadn't ran all of this way to be killed for something she hadn't done, so she tried something she had only ever done once before. She used the tiny amount of strength she had remaining and raised her own hand. She focused on Regina; more specifically, Regina's head. Within seconds, Regina was grasping her head, forcing her to relinquish her control over spell cast on Esme's neck. Esme fell to the floor gasping. The second she fell, her focus stopped and her enchantment on Regina's mind was gone.

"I'm. Not. Dark" was all Esme could manage to say while gasping as much air into her lungs as she could. She felt dizzy and queasy so focussed on one spot in the hallway until her body recovered.

"Then what the hell was that?" shouted Regina, clearly not pleased she had experienced something she hadn't come across before. She had heard of people who could control the mind, but they were always incredibly powerful, something Regina didn't think Esme was. When Esme didn't respond, Regina answered for her.

"Your a witch."

"I'm a seer." Esme replied still gasping.

"Seers don't pierce people's brains."

"In my defence, you were suffocating me."

"That wasn't really my point," said Regina, clearly losing her patience, but she saw the worried look on Robin and Henry's faces and she felt awful for losing her control so she didn't want to let that happen again.

"I know. Look, i'm really only here to ask for your help finding out why i'm here. I'm a witch but all of my power is centred around the mind, so i couldn't have created a portal to come here. At least not on my own but I wasn't in the last place long enough to find a witch. But this clearly isn't a good time. I'm sorry I hurt your head. I hope you feel better." With that, Esme was out the door.

Once outside she began power-walking down the path, trying to process what had happened. Her head hurt from her enchantment she cast on Regina, an enchantment she had only done once before. She first realised she could do it when she was taken to 'the tower' by Zoe and her henchmen when she was around 12. She was cuffed and placed in 'solitary confinement' until she agreed to 'co-operate'; Zoe wanted to use Esme's seer ability against the entire realm in an attempt to make Messene the most powerful island. Esme didn't want to do this; most of the time, Esme agreed with the enemy. Esme was in this tower for 2 years. Technically. What she hadn't told Henry, was that she had aged slower than most people. At least until around 4 or 5 years ago until her ageing seemed to become the same as everyone else. She had no idea why this was the case but she believed this slower ageing process was probably the reason she was brought to Zoe's attention; she was clearly magical in a land were there was supposedly no magic.

Esme kept walking until she found herself on the main street again. This situation was ridiculous, but it helped her realise one thing; without help, Esme wasn't getting anywhere soon so she needed somewhere to stay. She definitely wasn't going back to Henry, she didn't want to stay in the forrest but where else was she supposed to go? She stood for a second just to try and think about what she was going to do, when she saw an older woman begin to open 'Granny's'. She decided to follow her and ask if there was somewhere to stay, although when she finally caught up with her, her polite 'excuse me's' were greeted by a harsh "What!".

"Oh. Umm I was just wondering if there was somewhere to stay?"

"Believe me, you're better getting out of this town."

"That's my aim. But I wont be going anywhere for a little while so is there anywhere I could stay?"

"If you insist. I have a room." she said without changing her grumpy facial expression at all. She grabbed a key and began to walk. Esme wasn't sure what the woman wanted her to do so she stood there, waiting.

"Are you just gonna stand there?" the woman said abruptly.

This shocked Esme back to reality and she quickly followed the grumpy old lady to what seemed to be a hotel. The old woman stopped in front of a door, handed her a key and stated, "It's $25 per night, pay me at the bar."

Esme completely forgot, she had literally no money. She usually paid for whatever she needed by helping out around the place she was in but something told her this grumpy little lady wouldn't really accept that.

"Okay. Can I pay you before I leave?"

The old woman eyed her up suspiciously, before eventually replying, "No, this is a business not a charity."

"Okay. Ummm, I don't have any money right now so…"

"Here Granny. This should cover about a week," said a voice Esme was now slightly scared of.

"Thanks Madam Mayor," said Granny, taking the money then leaving.

Esme looked at Regina but she couldn't gage how exactly she was feeling.

"Thanks? Um, how exactly did you know I was here?" said Esme, slightly confused.

"You're new in town and need somewhere to stay. This is literally the only place, it wasn't exactly rocket science."

Esme felt slightly stupid now. She was still struggling to sense how Regina was feeling but she was now dressed in a grey dress with a purple blazer and had done her hair and make up since she last saw her. Esme didn't realise she had taken so long to get here but apparently she had.

"Look, i'm sorry about earlier. A lot has happened recently. I guess i'm a little protective," Regina began to explain.

"Oh it's fine. I'm sorry I mushed your brain," Esme said with a little giggle but this wasn't reciprocated by Regina so she stopped fairly quickly.

"You wanted my help?" said Regina in her usual tone.

"Oh yeah. Can you do that?"

"Yes. But I want your help in return."

"My help?"

"I have heard of people like you. People who have control over the brain, like you, can compel people, correct?"

"Oh. Um well technically yes but I.."

"Good. I need you to compel someone," stated Regina, as if this was as simple as saying hello.

"Regina that's not gonna happen!" an exasperated Esme replied.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not gonna compel anyone. For one, it's wrong to mess with someone's free will, okay? That's dark magic and I only operate within the boundaries of white magic. Anyway, i don't even know if I can. Normal witches get to practice their trade; the more practice they get the stronger; I didn't get to do that so i've never actually done it before."

"Well thats a pity. Because if you don't, helping you slides way down my to do list", Regina said with a malevolent smile.

Esme was shocked. Henry talked about his mother with such love but this woman was a monster! Compelling someone meant forcing them to do something they wouldn't do; they became a puppet for you to use as you pleased. Who could do that to someone?

"Do you know what compelling actually involves? I would be forcing someone to do something against their nature, against their soul. It's intrusive and dangerous! One wrong move, one tweek of the wrong part of their brain and I could cause serious damage. Who is really that evil that they deserve that?" Esme waited for a response but quickly thought she knew who Regina was talking about.

"The Dark One? Is that it? Henry's other mother? I get it, you'll clearly do anything for your son but I don't have that kind of magic. The dark one is centuries old and with this kind of magic, age matters. To even penetrate his, sorry her, mind let alone try to compel her would take a huge amount of strength, experience and power, none of which i have…"

"Oh, be quiet. It's not the Dark One that i want you to compel," interrupted Regina.

"Then who is it?"

"My sister."


	7. Chapter 7

"Your sister?!" explained Esme. "Did you hear a word of what I just said? Why would you want to do that to your sister?" Esme knew she was overstepping the mark and being an awful lot sassier than she should be but she couldn't believe it. Esme had heard stories of people who had gone mad following being compelled. Not only does it make you do things against your will, it doesn't protect you from the consequences of those actions; once you have completed the deed you have been told to perform, you are released from the enchantment and must live with what you've done.

"I don't think I made myself clear. Despite what you saw earlier, I am not the kind of person you want to make an enemy out of, Esmerelda," Regina said with a smile and a certain amount of venom when she said 'Esmerelda'. "It would be very unfortunate if Zoe happened to find out where you were, if she doesn't know already of course," said Regina calmly, as if threatening Esme's life was as simple as saying hello. Henry had clearly filled his mother in.

Esme knew Regina was serious so she decided to try and calm down before answering.

"Regina, I don't even know if I can com-"

"Then I suggest you find out. Enjoy your rest. You must be exhausted." Regina said smiling before she disappeared in a poof of purple smoke.

Esme stood there stunned. Not even an hour before, she had seen Henry and Robin, two seemingly lovely people, worry themselves to tears about a woman who had just threatened her life. That didn't fit at all. Everything was beginning to overwhelm her and she could feel eyes sting with tears, so she quickly unlocked the door and entered the room. It wasn't much, it was one room with a small single iron bed on the left, and a small kitchen/lounge area on the right. Once inside, she ran to the bed, lay on her back and let the tears fall down her face. What had she got herself into? She should have stuck with her original plan of keeping herself to herself; had she done that, she wouldn't have met Henry, she wouldn't have nearly been killed by Regina, she wouldn't have used the last of her strength trying to fight Regina and she wouldn't be in this horrible situation. She tried to calm herself down but the tears were uncontrollable and continued to cry until she was so exhausted she eventually she fell asleep.

When she woke up, her head hurt from all of the crying but she felt slightly better. She went quickly to the kitchen, filled then boiled the kettle and hoped there were tea bags. They didn't have tea in Messene, but it was by far Esme's favourite discovery on her travels. She found tea bags and sugar and despite the fact there was no milk, Esme enjoyed every mouthful of the warm mixture as she sat and drank it, looking out the window. There was the sound of a child laughing and the voice, that now struck anger and fear into the heart of Esme, laughing and playfully shouting 'Roland". She watched out the window as Regina lifted Roland, spun him around, showered him with kisses and tickles and laughed with him as the walked down the main street. Despite her clear character flaws, she was clearly a devoted mother; something Esme knew nothing about. Esme had never missed not having a mother, but she did wonder what her life would be like if she had one. Was her mother a seer too? Would Esme still have had to run? She didn't frequently think about her mother, but sometimes she wondered what it would be like to not be all alone and not have to fight every day.

As quickly as the thoughts came to her, they left. The reality of the situation that she was in overtook her curiosity and she had to think of her options. Option 1: Leave. She couldn't apparate or use a portal, at least not without the help of another witch but she didn't have time to find one here. She could leave by foot but Regina knew this land better than Esme did so she wouldn't get very far. And, if she was being honest, Esme was sick of running. She had been running from Zoe for two years; she didn't want another enemy in Regina. Option 2: Refuse. When Esme refused to help Zoe, she was locked up; she was fed just enough to survive but not enough for her to have any strength and cuffed in chains like an animal and when she fled, Zoe killed everyone who had helped Esme. Regina couldn't do this. That would mean hurting Henry which she wouldn't do, and locking her up didn't seem like Regina's style. No Regina seemed more of a drama kind of girl. Esme's main concern was that she would let Zoe know Esme's location; completely unaware of the danger that posed to this town. With this, Esme began to panic not only for herself - she didn't have the strength to fight Zoe and her men and she didn't have the resources to flee - but for the town. Zoe was cruel; completely unable to feel empathy, compassion and thrived on the pain of others. To her, this was a game and because she wouldn't kill Esme, she would kill everyone else and consider them collateral damage. With that, Esme arrived at option 3: agree. Esme would help Regina but on one condition: Esme not only wanted to know why she was here but also wanted Regina's help to flee. When Esme tried to help Regina up and they got shocked, Esme felt the power Regina had so creating a portal would be no problem for her. With that, Esme decided to tell Regina. The way she saw it, she better tell her before she changed her mind so quickly put her mug in the sink, grabbed the key and ran to where she had just saw Regina and Roland.

She ran but didn't see Regina. Instead she saw a couple walking down the street with a baby in a stroller, looking dishevelled and exhausted. They were staring at her, clearly aware she was new in town, so she decided to smile and waved hello. The lady returned her smile and waved but the man put his arm around his wife protectively and continued to walk. With everything going on with Regina, Esme forgot that the dark one was now a woman; she realised how suspicious people be considering that she arrived on the same day the dark one possessed Henry's other mom. With this, she realised she should probably just do what she needed to do and then leave s continued on her search for Regina and Roland. She was about to set off when something came up behind her, grabbed her arm and shouted "Aggh!" Although it did make Esme jump, she knew exactly who it was because he had done it yesterday. Esme couldn't help but laugh at the innocence of the little boy so she smiled, quickly turned around, crouched down and returned his "Aggh". The little boy had a huge ice-cream in his hand which nearly fell as he giggled so much his smile almost met his eyes. Regina's smile slightly disappeared when she realised it was Esme, but Esme noticed it hadn't gone completely as she looked lovingly at the little boy laughing. Esme stood up and, in no mood to make small talk, told Regina, "We need to talk."

Regina looked slightly surprised, her eyebrows were raised and she looked a lot less angry than earlier.

"Very well. Roland? Come on honey." Roland was running around the street, using his ice-cream as a spaceship but quickly came running and took Regina's hand. The two walked towards 'Granny's' and Esme assumed she was supposed to follow.

As they entered, Roland ran over to a booth and shouted 'Gina! Gina!'. Regina laughed and giggled 'Okay honey! I'm coming i'm coming!" When they arrived at the booth, Roland began eating his ice-cream and Regina, clearly not wanting him to hear their conversation, said she was going to go order so he should stay there. He looked at her and gave her a cheeky little smile, which she quickly returned and brushed his beautiful, brown curly hair out of his face. Esme followed Regina to the counter where she needed no prompt to begin laying out the deal.

"To compell your sister, I will need to meet her and I will need practice. It will take around a week. Until then, I need you to protect me here. You need to monitor who has access here; Zoe is dangerous to everyone in this town, not just me."

"Fine."

"In return, I not only want you to help me find out who brought me here. I want you to help me leave."

Regina paused for a second, clearly not happy Esme had added another condition but Esme returned her gaze, determined not to relent.

"Do we have a deal?" asked Esme, following a few uncomfortable moments of awkward staring.

"We have a deal." The two women simply nodded in agreement.


	8. Chapter 8

"Okay. Well if this is gonna work I need two things. One, i'm gonna need to meet your sister." Regina looked puzzled at this suggestion so Esme explained, "I will need to gage exactly how strong she is to determine how much I need to practice."

Regina seemed to accept this and said, "that's not a problem."

"Good. Now you're not gonna like the second thing."

"And why might that be?" she said suspiciously and in a tone that sort of scared Esme.

"Because i'll need to practice on you.." she said with a nervous, toothy smile.

Regina started laughing. It wasn't a joyful kind of laugh, it was more like she was giving Esme a second to pretend she was joking but Esme continued to smile at Regina.

"What? Ha! You can't be serious!" she said with a glare that almost made Esme change her mind. But she didn't.

"I am, actually. Everyone's brain is wired differently but your familial link will make it easier for me to compel her; it's hard to explain but from what i've heard, it'll make it easier to navigate my way through."

Regina looked at Esme, her anger palpable. "You're sure this will make it work?" Regina said in an odd voice, like she was trying to sound calm but it didn't really work.

"No but I think it will." Esme knew from Regina's raised eyebrows and angry eyes this wasn't the answer she wanted to hear but Esme wanted to be honest about the process.

"Fine."

Esme was slightly surprised that she had agreed so quickly but pleased; the sooner she got this over with, the sooner she could leave.

"Oh… Um okay. Well it'll take around 4 days. Day one, I will try to compel you to tell me things that you wouldn't tell a stranger. Day 2, i'll get you to tell me things you think but know you shouldn't say out loud. Day 3, i'll get you to tell me things you would only tell the people closest to you. Day 4, i'll get you to tell me things you don't want anyone to know…" She tried to study Regina's face. This entire time, Regina kept looking over at Roland; making funny faces, talking through a forced smile and generally checking on him. But when Esme told her how intrusive the process would be, she froze, looking at the counter. Until now, Esme was determined to be as cold to Regina as Regina had been to her but now she was worried she was too harsh; Regina actually looked slightly scared.

"I..I'm sorry. This is totally intrusive and I can't guarantee it will work so I totally understand if you don't want to go through with this.." she tried to explain but Regina was determined. She sat herself upright, turned to face Esme and stated, "I'm fine. When do you want to see her?"

Esme wasn't sure she meant it but she at least respected Regina's determination so she continued to go along with it. "As soon as possible really."

"I'll drop Roland off with Robin and take you to her," she said, standing up. Roland must have tired himself out because he was sitting with his head resting on his hand, looking very bored. Regina looked over and laughed.

"You ready to go home, honey?" Regina cooed as she walked over and stroked his head.

With this he lift his arms, an action Regina quickly responded to by picking him up. He quickly put his head on his Regina's shoulder and she protectively put her hand to his back, making sure he was comfortable. Roland must have been 6 or 7, and Regina wasn't a very strong woman so the sight of her, in a skirt suit and high heels, carrying a boy half her size would have been funny if Esme hadn't found it so cute.

Regina began to walk outside and although Esme wasn't sure if she was supposed to follow, she realised Regina couldn't open the door when she was carrying Roland so Esme went to do it for her. When they were both outside Regina eventually said 'Thank you' when they were at the bottom of the steps with a look on her face that made it seem as if saying those words tasted like vinegar.

"So am I supposed to come with you or meet you somewhere or…?" Esme asked awkwardly. She didn't want to sound needy but she wasn't sure what was going on.

"You come. I'll only be one minute."

It took Esme a second to notice but Regina wasn't walking towards the house they were in earlier, she was walking towards the woods. Esme kept her mouth shut but she didn't see how or why Regina was going to carry Roland through the forrest in heels.

"Ummm.. sorry to interrupt but..where are we going?"

"Robin Hoods."

"What? I thought you and him were-"

"It's complicated." Esme sense she should probably avoid that topic to avoid getting suffocated again so she changed the subject.

"If Robin is in the forrest, where's Henry?"

"With his grandparents" she stated matter-of-factly and Esme took that as the end of the conversation.

They walked for a few minutes until they came upon a camp. Despite Esme's scepticism, Regina actually managed Roland very well and manoeuvred around the forrest well but she looked pleased to see Robin who quickly kissed her on the head and relieved her of Roland. They spoke and laughed for a couple of minutes before he kissed her cheek and disappeared into a tent, presumably to put Roland to bed. So this is where they lived? Esme stayed well back from the scene but she found it interesting watching Regina and Robin. Regina was clearly capable of great love - that much was evident by the way she was around her family - but she had this other side. A dangerous, nasty side and Esme wondered why. What happened to her that she had to develop that fierce side? Regina was smiling and talking to one of the men from the camp when Robin came back out again, hugged her waist and said something in her ear that made her laugh It was sweet but Esme was pleased when Robin noticed her; she just wanted to get this meeting over with. He reluctantly loosened his grip and shouted, "Please, join us ma' lady."

Esme smiled awkwardly and walked into the camp full of people. This went against every fibre in her body; she was used to keeping herself to herself but here? Here, she had met most of the town within a day. It helped that Regina looked as uncomfortable as Esme did when Esme entered so she quickly turned to Robin, asked "are you and Roland coming for dinner?". Robin smiled, held Regina's cheek in his hand and said "We would love to." Regina smiled, said "Good" and kissed him. The kiss lasted slightly longer than was necessary so Esme coughed and that brought them back to reality. They said their flirty goodbyes and prolonged their hand-holding before Esme and Regina finally went back the way they came towards the town.

They walked in silence until they arrived at the main street again but it was eventually broken by Regina asking "You didn't ask why."

"What?"

"You didn't ask why I want you to compel Zelena."

"I didn't realise I had a choice in the matter." she said. Regina maintained her cold exterior in response and then they continued walking in silence. Esme used the silence as an opportunity to explain a little more. "For some odd reason, I guess I trust your judgement".

"What?" Regina said. She was genuinely shocked. Regina knew she hadn't given Esme any reason to but Esme thought different.

"I dunno maybe I empathise with you or something." The words were out of her mouth before they registered with her brain. She certainly had Reginas attention now; she was looking at her, clearly interested in how she was going to follow on from that. It was true, she did sort of empathise with Regina, but the woman still terrified her. But she figured there was no way back; the only thing to do was explain why. "Well, the way you are with your sons and Robin, that looks natural for you. The whole bitchy, cold person, although particularly convincing, doesn't feel natural so you've clearly been through something that made you think you had to be like that. I dunno I guess I can relate."

When Esme looked up at Regina, she was greeted by a look that actually contained some warmth and a hint of a smile that wasn't forced. Esme felt a huge amount of relief but their exchange lasted no more than a couple of seconds before Regina quickly looked straight ahead.

"Well, here we are."

Esme looked up; it was already beginning to get dark but the building she was looking at would have been dreary on a beautiful summer's day with birds chirping and clear blue sky. It had bars across the windows. This was a jail.


	9. Chapter 9

Esme was still processing the fact Regina had put her own sister in prison that she didn't realise Regina had started to walk ahead. Esme ran to catch up with her. Regina smiled politely at the people they passed then stopped at one cell door. She began opening it and asked "How long do you need?"

The action startled Esme. "You're gonna leave me with her?!"

"She's not big on quality time, are you sis?" said a British woman as she smiled through the bars at them. This didn't calm Esme at all. "Oh relax dearie. I don't bite."

Regina ignored her sister entirely and turned to Esme. "She can't use magic. Let me know when you're done." With that, she opened the door. Esme was confused but walked into the cell. Before she knew it, the door banged closed, she heard the sound of keys turning in the lock and footsteps as Regina walked away.

Regina's sister was sitting crossed legged on the bed, looking unusually smug for someone in a prison. The worst part was that her smugness wasn't the most confusing thing of the situation; the woman was pregnant.

"Well hello! I doubt my sister has bothered to introduce me. I'm Zelena, Regina's baby sister. So to what do I owe the pleasure? My dear sister doesn't usually allow me to have visitors." Zelena asked sarcastically. Esme felt like she had stepped into some weird TV show; this woman seemed unhinged. This was helped by he fact that she cackled when she saw Esme staring at her growing belly.

"Oh! It's quite a sight isn't it" she said staring at her belly, with a look that Esme couldn't quite place. "Quite a piece of work my sister. Imprisoning her sister is one thing. But to imprison the mother of her 'one true loves' baby? That takes a evil to a whole new level don't you think?" Regina said, with venom and intent behind every word.

Esme had said absolutely nothing the entire time she was there, but this shocked her into talking.

"That baby is Robin's?"

"Ohh!" Zelena cackled. "You do talk! Oh good because this would have been a very boring meeting if you didn't," she said as she reclined in the bed, making herself comfortable.

"You didn't answer my question?" Esme said, trying to sound as confident as Zelena was.

"No no darling. You don't get to make demands," she said. This knocked Esme's confidence right back to zero but she didn't want to relent. She didn't like this woman.

"Actually..actually I do. I need you to tell me why you're here," Esme asked, trying to sound as forceful as possible.

Zelena looked at her in a way that unnerved Esme; as Zelena lay on the her bed, back against the wall and feet up on the bed, she watched Esme with a look of amusement. It was as if Esme being here was a joke to her, but Esme didn't care. In fact, she was glad Zelena seemed to be underestimating her, it made her task easier. See, she didn't care about why Zelena was here. She understood that Regina had her reasons and ever since meeting Zelena, Esme trusted Regina's judgement. She simply needed the question to distract Zelena. As a seer, Esme had heightened sight; she could see the aura, or soul, of people if she concentrated. This told her a how good or bad a person was, how happy or sad they were and, she hoped, how powerful they are. She rarely used this ability because it took a lot of concentration and energy but she knew that a pure, undamaged soul was white and that the stronger a person was, the brighter their soul shone. The issue was, she had to stare at the person which was a lot easier to do if you aren't meeting with them one on one; Esme was counting on Regina being here long enough to distract her but since that didn't happen, Esme had to improvise. She hoped that Zelena would continue her arrogant story telling, which she did, long enough for Esme to assess the power. Esme was standing in the corner of the cell, trying not to stare too intensely at Zelena, when she finally saw it; glowing around Zelena was a grey kind of mist. The grey clearly meant she was a dark person but what worried Esme was the brightness. The glow was strong and constant; Zelena was powerful. Very powerful and that fuelled with her clear hatred for Regina would cause issues when it came to compelling her now that Zelena had saw her with Regina.

Esme stopped the second she sussed Zelena's power, which was just in time as Zelena was looking at her expectantly. Esme pretended she was listening but began to feel dizzy. She tried to pretend she was fine but she quickly had to lean against the wall for support; looking at Zelena's soul used a lot of energy Esme didn't have in the first place.

Zelena noticed that her face had drained of colour and she was struggling to keep her head up so she quickly came over and eased her down into a sitting position against the wall.

"Oh dear. I was hoping you were more powerful than that," Zelena said as she faked a sad face. "No matter, you don't need any power for what I need you for." she said with a smile.

Esme had put her head between her knees but quickly raised it and asked "what you need me for?"

"Well how else did you think you get here?" Zelena said, clearly enjoying every second of playing with Esme.

"You brought me here…" Esme said, her queasiness quickly being replaced by confusion.

Zelena through her head back in laughter, clapped, crouched beside Esme and whispered, "You're going to help me destroy my sister."

"What? No i'm not!"

"Oh. But that's the best part! You can't do anything about it," she said with an unnerving amount of glee.

Esme was determined not to let Zelena see she had rattled her so leaned in close till she was nearly touching Zelena's nose and said 'And why is that".

"Because you can't change the fact that you are her daughter."


	10. Chapter 10

"She's what?" said Henry. He was standing with the keys in his hand but wasn't quite tall enough to see in through the bars. He quickly opened the door as he thought Esme would want out but even when the door was opened, she stayed.

"Oh, well you weren't supposed to find out….. but…. maybe Regina knowing will make things happen even faster," Zelena cooed as she bent down to put her face as close to Henry's as possible. Esme immediately stepped in-between the two.

"What are you doing here?" Esme whispered to him, quite panicked. This woman was powerful, but now that she was spouting this nonsense, Esme couldn't trust she was actually sane; Esme found that insane and powerful never made a reliable combination.

"Mom had to g-Is this really what you're concerned about?" he replied.

"So she sent you!?"

"I was already here to get her to come home and I was supposed to tell you to leave once I had given you the keys to leave but-"

"And how long ago was that exactly?"

"Around an hour?" he said with the same awkward grin Esme had used earlier.

You've been here an hour with no frickin' protection! Henry!"

"Relax! Zelena has a cuff on that prevents her using magic and mom has this place enchanted,"

"It wasn't her I was worried about!" Esme said without thinking. She genuinely wasn't worried about Zelena, in fact she was quite certain she could at least delay her long enough to leave and keep her locked in, but she knew that she probably shouldn't have said it out loud.

As Esme expected, Zelena quickly piped in "Oh but you should be" she said and cackled that chilling laugh of utter amusement.

Esme told Henry they were to leave and quickly made sure he was safely in-front of her, her shielding him with her body. Even though she couldn't use magic, Esme wouldn't put it past her to use brute strength.

"Oh feeling sisterly already are we?" Zelena said in amusement.

"Nope I just don't think a psycho should be anywhere near Henry" Esme said as she attempted to push Henry out of the door but he wasn't moving. For a kid, he was strong.

"Now now! There's no need for name calling. I am your aunt after all."

"Haha! Seriously lady?" Esme found it hard not to laugh in this ridiculous situation. She had got herself so worried that she felt sick about meeting this woman but the person she was worried about meeting ended up being a psychotic. As incredibly odd as the situation was, it just wasn't safe for a 15 year old to be here, and well aware that Regina would gladly kill her if anything happened to her son, Esme needed to get Henry out. "I don't know what kind of information you've been fed or what kind of plan you think i'm gonna play a part in but let me make two things very, very clear. I will not help you and I am definitely not Regina's daughter," she said while she was shoving Henry closer to the door. Eventually she got him out of the cell, so Esme took the keys off Henry and locked the door while Zelena called "See you soon" from the cell earily.

Esme paused for a moment, hand still on the door, and although she was well aware Henry wanted to discuss what Zelena had just claimed, she didn't have the energy to explain why it wasn't true. Henry was looking at her expectantly and whenever she turned to walk away, in silence, he couldn't quite hold his breath any longer.

"Really? Zelena just said you're my sister and you don't want to mention tha-?

"SHHHHHH!" Esme ran over closer to Henry so that she could cover his mouth if needs be.

"You know that Mom left! My grandparents needed her help with something."

"Is it to do with your other mother?"

"Stop trying to change the subject. Why don't you want this to be true?!"

"It isn't about what I want! Its about what is real and that? That is not real!"

"How are you so certain?!"

"Henry-"

"How!"

"Because i'm almost the same age!"

Henry had confusion on his face, a look Esme now realised she caused quite often.

"Oh so that shut you up!"

"I'm not stupid Esme, you're not the same age as my mother…"

"Well no, not exactly the same age. But by my age, she would have been like 8 when she had me so i'm pretty sure she's not…" Esme knew that she was starting to ramble but she needed to do two things and two things only; talk and walk. She was getting closer to Granny's and all she wanted was to lie in bed and forget about the last few days.

"Esme, you're not making sense. How old are you?"

"Thats not as simple a question as you would think…" Esme said awkwardly. She didn't elaborate so Henry had to coax it out of her.

"Okaay.. so make it simple. How may ages do you have?"

Esme had never thought about breaking it down like that before.

"You're a smart kid, you know tha-"  
"Esme!"

"Sorry! Two."

Henry looked at her expectantly and she realised she would have to explain or he would keep asking her questions she was too tired to answer.

"Okay so, you ready for my life story in 10 seconds?"

"Shoot."

"I was sent through a portal to Messene. There was no magic there so they thought I was some gift from the Gods or whatever. Anyway they kept me in the palace for like a month and then whenever they didn't receive anything, I was sent to the elders house with the rest of the orphans and raised with the other girls there. They noticed as I grew up that I aged slower than the rest of the girls, one year for me was like over two years for them. This continued until I hit 16ish and then my ageing went back to normal and I am now 20."

She said all of that so quickly poor Henry didn't know what to say. Thankfully, it didn't matter because they were now at Granny's. Henry didn't exactly have any follow up questions, he just stood there dazed. Quick to make sure he was actually okay, she changed the subject entirely.

"How are you getting home squirt?"

Henry didn't seem to appreciate this new attempt at a nickname but Esme liked it, she thought it matched it cute little face. And it brought him back around to the real world where long lost sisters who didn't look their age didn't exist.

"I'm meeting mom at Grandma and Grandpas," he said, laughing off Esme's attempt to call him squirt.

"And they live here?"

"Yeah."

"Awesome because no offence but I am waay to tired to walk you home."

"You know i'm 15 right?" Henry said, clearly annoyed Esme didn't think he could walk home alone.

"You know you're mother will kill me if anything happened to you on my watch right?"

The two laughed but Esme could see Henry was slightly agitated about something.

"She's not as bad as you think you know?" he said after a couple of minutes of peaceful, un-awkward silence. They ascended the stairs to Granny's and were closing in on Esme's room.

"Who? Zelena? Listen Henry that lady is bad news. Your mom has her in there for a rea-"

"No not Zelena. My mom."

Esme hadn't expected that but when she thought back to what she had said, she understood why Henry was annoyed and wanted to fix that. He had been the only.. well friend.. that she had had in many years. He had helped her whether she wanted it or not, even in the face of all his own problems so she didn't want to cause him any more grief. "I don't think your mom is bad. I think she's scary… but I think thats kinda the point,' Esme said with a laugh. She could see that this didn't really fix Henry's hurt feelings so she continued, "Believe it or not, I actually admire her." This surprised Henry, but it was the truth.

"Really?"

"Yeah! The way she fights for you and loves you! That takes guts when you've been hurt so many times."

"How do you know she's been hurt?"

"Remember that spell I did? The one that hurt her head?" Henry nodded in response.

"That should have made her unconscious. Now I know i'm out of practice with a lot of my abilities, but that enchantment works every time because I know it inside and out. An old witch taught me it when I was running and its probably the one i've used mos— anyway! Only people who have overcome great mental traumas, and I mean great, can withstand the pressure that creates within the mind…. " Esme paused,"And the evil sister isn't exactly an example of a happy life is it?"

This was clearly all Henry needed to hear and the two laughed for at least a couple of minutes. Esme wanted to enjoy some more of Henry's company but she could feel herself growing weaker. Her eyes were getting heavy and her head felt like it was filling with something; she needed to lie down before she fell down. Thankfully Henry noticed her quick decline and helped her to the room. Although she was dazed, she remembered Henry putting her to bed, placing a blanket over her and leaving the keys beside the door.


	11. Chapter 11

Esme woke up feeling groggy; like she was hungover. She hadn't felt like this in a while because she usually tried to avoid using the amount of magic it took to make her feel like that. However, whenever she was practicing her magic and pushing herself more, she would feel like this all of the time so she knew exactly what to do; she needed plenty of sugar and sleep. Thankfully, in this town she lived right above a cafe so the sugar part shouldn't be very difficult to achieve, but the sleeping part may not be quite so easy. She had way to much to do. Number one on that list was making sure Henry didn't utter a word of what Zelena had said to Regina. She wouldn't disrupt the woman's life over something that clearly wasn't true, and she didn't want to unwittingly help Zelena with her disgusting plan to destroy her sister's life. She also had to break some fairly big news to Regina; she couldn't compel Zelena. At least not anytime soon.

With that terrifying thought, she heard a knock at the door. She slowly started to get up and was very grateful that she didn't actually have any pyjamas or clothes to change in or out of - although that was another thing to add to her to do list. She hobbled to the door and chanted 'Please don't be Regina" in her head. Unfortunately the chanting didn't work and when she opened the door she was greeted by a very angry looking Regina-although that wasn't really new.

"Hi, Regina!" Esme said as politely as possible even though she felt like she could sleep for a week. Regina sort of smiled in return and walked directly in. She looked at Esme and was slightly startled by her appearance. Yesterday, although she was covered in cuts and bruises, she seemed strong and in control. However this morning, she seemed more fragile; her plait was falling out and messy, her clothes were covered in dirt and a little blood and the she seemed weak somehow. When Esme turned around after locking the door, Regina saw how dark and heavy her eyes were.

"Are you alright?" she said. She saw the shocked look on Esme's face and realised that Esme was shocked about her concern. That was perhaps a better way of being; Regina had learned that you can't get hurt if you don't care. "I mean, you're no use to me if you're not."

Esme laughed at Regina's return to the mean person. "Yeah, i'm fine."

"Good. I think we should star-"

"I need to talk to you."

Regina clearly wasn't pleased at being interrupted but she kept her head, smiled and said 'Okay…"

"I can't compel Zelena. At least not anytime soon."

Regina was visibly incensed; it was clear that she was making a huge effort to keep the smile on her face, but it came across as evil, not genuine.

"And why is that?"

"She's pregnant." Esme tried to explain as she made herself some sugary tea. She offered some to Regina who immediately declined.

"So?!"

"That is another little brain that could get messed up during the process! And considering it's Robin's baby, i'm sure that isn't what anyone wants!"

Regina looked shocked at the fact that Esme knew. She also looked slightly embarrassed as she sat down on the chair opposite Esme at the dinner table. Esme thought it was quite funny; Esme was terrified about telling her but she seemed sad, not mad. Regina saw Esme studying her

"What!" she barked.

"Nothing!" Esme said but Regina didn't seem to take this for an answer so she continued. "I just thought you would… I dunno try to kill me again or something.." she said half jokingly but half not.

"Well what good that that do, I could still use you" she said, which wasn't exactly the answer Esme wanted, but she did kind of expect it. Esme simply laughed in response and enjoyed a mouthful of her tea.

"How long do you need?" Regina asked, have impatiently and half to fill the silence that been prevalent for a couple of minutes.

"What do you mean?"

"How long do you need to practice before you can compel Zelena without harming the baby?"

"What? Regina that could be danger-"

"How long!"

"Honestly? I have no idea. It depends on how big the baby is, how powerful Zelena is, how powerful I am and what it is i'm compelling her to do…"

"Well that sounds…"

"Complicated? It is. And its also very dangerous. Compelling people works within the realm of dark magic, it goes against nature, so only a powerful witch is able to muster enough power to do it. As you can see, I don't have the kind of power right now and I honestly don't know how long it will take to get it. I'm sorry." Regina was looking at her not with anger but with what Esme thought looked almost like concern.

"Pratice" Regina said.

"What?"

"You need to practice. You said earlier you'll need to practice on me for a few days? So practice on me for longer."

"Regina, I-"

"I need you to compel Zelena," she said almost desperately.

"Why?" Esme finally asked.

"Her sole purpose for being here is destroy my life. I finally have everything I have been fighting for for so long. I wont let her take it away! I need you to make sure she can't take it away." Regina tried to hide it, but her eyes were more watery than usual.

"Why does she hate you so much?"

"I was born" Regina said with a little laugh. She saw the puzzled look on Esme's face and continued. "My mother left her, sent her through a portal, when she was a baby. She saw me have everything she wanted and hates me for it. The irony is I would gladly swap my mother for no mother." She stopped quickly, as though she felt she had shared too much.

"Regina, compelling someone is incredibly intrusive. I'm going to learn absolutely everything there is to know about you, your past, your family history, your biggest wish, biggest regret, everything. Are you sure you want to do this?" Esme was concerned Regina didn't understand how much Esme was going to find out, and considering she was stranger to Regina, she int expect that to be okay.

Regina looked at Esme for a couple of seconds before replying, "positive".

Esme respected the decision and was about to explain to her exactly what the practice would involve when there was a knock at the door. Regina told Esme to stay put while she answered it, something Esme wanted to take as genuine concern and not efficiency considering it would take Esme 10 minutes to even get to the door. Regina answered and Robin, Roland and Henry were all at the door. Roland quickly jumped over to Regina, and as adorable as he was, him shouting "Gina!" at the top of his voice wasn't helping Esme's head. Henry gave his mom a kiss on the cheek and walked over to where Esme was sitting. Regina and Robin were distracted - saying their teenage 'Hi's', kissing and looking intently at one another - so Esme quickly said to Henry "Not one word!"

"But Esm-"

"Not one word!"

Regina was looking over at them so Esme smiled and called for Robin to come on in.

"I'm afraid I don't have much to offer you."

"Not a problem ma lady. I believe we owe you at least a breakfast" he said smiling as he quickly put his arm around Regina's waist and tousled Roland's head which was wresting on Regina's shoulder.

Esme laughed and said "Oh? And why is that?"

He looked at Regina expectantly. She rolled her eyes and said "Well, you are a guest here and my first act was to strangle you… Robin thinks I should apologise". Robin laughed at her half hearted attempt at an apology but Esme was happy to take it. After all, it was the best she was gonna get from Regina and she had no money to buy her own food so it was practical as well as thoughtful.

"Okay, lets go," Esme said and the five of them walked out to get their food.

As they were walking down the hallway, Henry was jumping down the stairs with Roland when a notebook fell out of his bag-pack. Regina and Robin were ahead so Esme went to pick it up but what she found startled her more. It had fallen on a page with the title Esme. As she read through, there were pages of lists and diagrams; all of which explaining how it was possible that Regina was her mom after-all.


	12. Chapter 12

Esme stood at the top of the stairs and studied the diary. There were diagrams and stories and drawings Esme couldn't make out but she was astonished by the detail. Before she could really look at it in any detail,Henry came running over to the stairs, with Roland as his shadow, but the smile quickly faded from his face when he saw what Esme had in her hands. Esme looked at him with anger in her eyes, and had Robin and Regina not returned to see what the hold up was, Esme knew she would have lost her temper.

"What's going on?" Regina asked curiously, but with a smile on her face, so Esme knew she thankfully wasn't mad.

"Nothing!" Esme said with a very large, fake smile. She made her slow decent down the stairs and was grateful when Robin held out his free hand to help her down as Esme's body was aching now from her injuries and stairs were not helping the pain. It may have been because Robin's other hand was happily intertwined with Regina's or maybe it was his attempt at appeasing her but Henry quickly followed Robin's lead and offered his hand in support. Esme took both of their hands, made it to the bottom, politely thanked them both, and walked ahead. Robin and Regina were walking quite happily hand in hand behind them and Roland was running ahead down the corridor so Esme took the opportunity to talk to Henry.

"What the hell have you been doing?!" She had hoped to come across a lot calmer but whispering made things a lot more difficult so that didn't quite happen.

"You seriously expected me to leave it? You could be my sister!"

"I'm not!"

"Esme, you really could be!"

"Henry you need to drop it kid!"

Henry was about to respond when Roland came bouncing over to them.

"Hurry! Hurry!" he repeated as he took both of their hands and led them to the cafe. When they arrived, Esme laughed as she realised why Roland was so excited. Roland bounded over to the counter, climbed up onto the stool and tucked into the piece of pie and strawberry milkshake Granny had waiting for him, after she ruffled his hair. Esme looked at Henry, hoping he would gather he had to drop this whole thing, especially in public and thankfully he seemed to get the message. He walked over and Granny had the same order waiting for him at the counter.

"Thanks Granny," he said with a smile.

"No problem honey" said the busy, grumpy little lady. Esme had met her a few times now but her smiling at the boys was the first time Esme had seen her facial expression change.

"Now, i believe you may want to try something different. After all, you've already had some pie," said Robin as he and Regina walked in. Esme was confused at first but realised he was talking about the pie she had taken a couple of days before. She turned around and smiled widely and was relieved he too was smiling, clearly not actually angry.

"Boys, why don't you go grab the booth over there," Regina said as she smoothed Henry's hair. Henry realised Roland couldn't get down from the stool alone so said he would give him a piggy-back ride. Roland was overjoyed at this and gladly jumped onto Henrys back and made aeroplane noises the entirety of the short distance between the counter and the booth. Robin laughed and rolled but Regina looked on and smiled so widely her eyes were almost closed. Esme brought over their shakes and drinks and sat opposite Henry. Roland asked her a lot of questions in the short time that it took Regina and Robin to come sit with their food; how old she was, where she came from, why she was here, how long was she staying here, where were her mommy and daddy, why weren't they with her. The funny thing was that Esme genuinely couldn't answer most of them which then led to even longer follow up questions so Esme was actually relieved when Regina returned. She realised she would have to sit beside her and paused for a minute before eventually deciding it was fine. She placed a piece of chocolate cake and a large glass of water in front of Esme. Esme looked at her, confused as to why she had set in-front of her?

"Please tell me you like chocolate!" Regina said in a tone Esme wasn't quite sure if she was joking or not. She saw that Regina too had a large slice of chocolate cake so assumed she was trying to joke.

"No no i love chocolate. Thank you!" Esme quickly realised this was for her. It was odd sitting here with a family. On her travels, Esme only met people who could help her move on and although this was technically what Regina was doing, Esme wasn't used to meeting their families. It was lovely and terrifying all at once. Stupidly, she felt safer. She was nicely tucked away in the corner, Henry had helped her, spoke and listened to her, they were feeding her and it all just seemed easier. But all of that came at a cost Esme wasn't willing to pay. She was glad to learn that it wasn't Zoe who had sent her here, but that didn't mean she couldn't find her, and more importantly, them. Here though, she had Zelena to worry about and with that, came a time frame she usually didn't operate within; she usually left one location a week or two after arrival but it would take her at least two weeks to train enough to compel Zelena without harming the baby and then she had to find a way out.

Roland wasn't the only person interested in Esme, Robin and Henry asked her plenty of questions, some of which she answered and some she didn't. Even with Esme's awkwardness, they laughed and joked and Esme felt just a little less overwhelmed by everything. Regina went to pay the bill and asked Esme if she would join her. With it being Regina, Esme's heart stopped ever so slightly but she agreed and followed her to the counter.

"Robin has agreed to take the kids tonight so that you can practice. Are you.. you know.. able to?" Esme wasn't sure if she was trying to mask concern or fake it but she said she would try; Esme was grateful for her help and wanted to leave before Henry helped Zelena's plan.

"Does he know?" asked Esme.

"Know what?"

"What you're asking me to do."

"He knows." She said this with a slight, genuine smile which Esme thought was weird but was too scared of the woman to really bring it up.

"Okay.. Well i'm ready when you are" said Esme.

The sooner she practiced, the sooner it would be over. Regina agreed so she walked over to the booth, gave Henry and Roland a hug and Robin a prolonged goodbye kiss and nodded for Esme to follow her as she left. They walked to her house predominantly in silence, with the odd exception of Regina asking her some questions about what the compelling would involve. When they arrived at the manor like house, Esme and Regina sat by the couch on the rug; that way if either one fainted, it was on soft ground. Esme sat cross legged and looked at Regina to follow.

"Is that really necessary."

Esme laughed. "No, you can sit whichever way you like. If you can at all in that skirt suit! You should maybe change?"

Regina looked at her and stated "Forgive me, but i wont be taking fashion advice from the hippy who hasn't changed in two days."

"Well in my defence that wasn't actually my choice," she said smiling and went to touch Regina's head. Regina leaned back and hit away her hand.

"What are you doing?"

"I have to hold your head."

"Why?!"

"I dunno, thats just the way the others did it!"

Regina didn't seem satisfied with this as a response but relented when Esme refused to put her hands down. The second her hand touched Regina's head, there was a quick spark; like a little electric shock. Esme jumped and looked at Regina who nodded to tell her to continue. Esme focused on her mind and her energy entering Regina's head and within seconds she made the connection. She opened her eyes, willed Regina to open hers, which she did, and began asking her basic questions; her full name, where she lived, who she was, her mothers name etc. This continued for an hour or so, after which Esme broke the connection and took a break. Making the connection was a lot easier than Esme had thought, but the power it took to maintain it had drained her. She watched as Regina came out of the compelling and made sure she was alright; she was.

"Is that it?" she asked harshly.

Esme just laughed and went to get up however she sat down on the couch when the room began to spin. Regina must have noticed and quickly came back with a glass of soda and held it in front of her.

"Here."

"Thanks." Esme downed the glass and felt a little better. Regina must have known about the sugar too.

"So i didn't know Henry was named after your father,"

Regina looked over confused but quickly realised that had clearly been a question Esme asked during the compelling.

"Will i remember any of the questions you ask?"

"I honestly don't know. I don't think so."

"I thought seers were knowledgable and masters of the mind."

Esme laughed and stated "they are when they practice. They are usually taught by another seer or witch but there was no magic in Messene so…."

"What, no parents?"

"Nope."

Regina looked at Esme and smiled slightly. Esme knew Regina expected her to elaborate but right now, she was too focused on not fainting and the question made her lsihgtmy uncomfortable under the circumstances. That smile was broken when Robin came running in through the door.

"Regina!" he shouted as he bounded over to her and wrapped his arms around her as if it could be the last time. He was genuinely scared, but Esme noticed he was holding Regina in a way that his body was shielding hers should anything or anyone come in through the door.

"What! Whats the matter?! Where are the boys?" she asked, clearly as confused as Esme, hugging him back.

"They're safe. They're with Snow and Charming," he said, trying to catch his breath.

"Robin whats the matter," she said harshly pulling away from his embrace but cradling his face in her hands.

"It's Emma… She just freed Zelena."


	13. Chapter 13

"What?!" Regina said with a mixture of fear and anger. Esme was confused, she didn't know everyone's names yet, but the loud bang from outside made her well aware of the danger Emma seemed to posses. The bang started all three of them but Regina was quick to act.

She kissed Robin passionately, making Esme humbled and very uncomfortable in the process, and told him "Go to the boys…". She looked like she wanted to say something else but another bang reminded her of the danger so she waved her hands and she vanished in a purple cloud of smoke before she could say it. Robin looked helpless this helplessness quickly changed to anger

"You have magic, correct?" Esme was startled by his abruptness. He had been so calm and charming before but now, he was assertive and sharp. This change shocked Esme so could only really mumble.

"Well, sort of but-"

"Good. Come with me." He jogged to the door, lifted a bow and some arrows and ran out the door. Esme struggled to keep up, still weak from earlier, but she managed to do so.

"Robin, don't you think we-"

"She's not fighting either of those women. Not alone," he said definitively so Esme stopped protesting and used her energy to catch up with him. They kept running until the could see the town. Regina was in the centre, talking to the blond woman Esme recognised from a few nights ago; this must be Henry's other mother. The conversation seemed tense, both women circling one another, clearly ready to attack when they felt it was necessary. What looked like the entire town were either peaking out from windows or doorways, desperate to see the drama that was unfolding but none willing to help Regina. Emma wore a long, black billowing dress, her blond hair was scraped back into a tight but she exuded darkness. The weather was changing, just like a few nights ago, and Regina looked so helpless in comparison to Emma; Robin clearly thought so too and quickly made his way to be beside her. Regina looked horrified at him being so close to the danger but he seemed confident and protectively stood in front of her. Esme ran to get closer but Regina noticed her and quickly gave her a look; Esme knew to hang back.

"Oh look! The honourable thief. Tell me, how is cheating on Regina with her sister honourable. Or maybe you cheated on your wife with Regina, I really can't keep up these days!" Emma said, with a chilling laugh. She stepped closer to Robin with each word and only finished when she was nose to nose with him. Robin didn't flinch but Regina clearly wasn't happy at the danger Robin was now in. She put herself in-between Emma and Robin and became the scary woman Esme had seen yesterday.

"Where. Is. Zelena" she said, getting just as close to Emma as Emma had been to Robin.

"Now, why on earth would I tell you that. That'l take all of the fun out of it."

"What do you need her for!" Regina's pleading was met with a cackle that came from behind her. Zelena emerged from a green cloud of smoke and came strolling towards Regina, looking far too content. Robin looked at Regina but it was clear neither knew what was going on. Zelena stopped when she was beside Emma, looking far too pleased with herself.

"Hello sissy."

"Zelena," Regina said through gritted teeth. Esme willed her to keep calm; she had an idea. Entering the mind of someone and extracting information was much easier than compelling them and so took much less time. The plan was actually brilliant; while Regina distracted them, Esme would make a connection and search for and find the real answers tot he questions she needed. Esme had no idea if Regina was intending for her to do this but she had to do something although when she found the answer she wished she hadn't. The interesting thing was that while Esme was gathering the information from Emma's brain, the old Emma peaked in sometimes. She would think things like 'Oh my God" or 'Please no'; Esme could feel the energy shift as if there were two people in one body, it saddened her. While Esme was contemplating this, she heard Robin scream. Esme looked and saw that Zelena had Regina by the throat, not physically but the same way Regina held Esme yesterday. Regina was powerless but Robin quickly aimed an arrow at her head.

"Don't EVER touch her!"

"Careful now dear, i'm carrying precious cargo remember" she said and patted her stomach with a huge smile. Robin looked for a second then quickly shot her in the foot. The pain was enough for her to drop Regina but Emma was incensed at his involvement so while Regina was gasping for breath, Emma made her way towards Robin and grabbed inside his heart. Regina screamed no, but she pulled it out and held it in her hand, dangling it in front of Regina. Robin fell and Regina fell beside him, cradling his head, stroking his face. Esme wasn't the take action kind of girl, but these people had helped her; she owed them. She ran into sight and shouted "Hey!". Her appearance was long enough to stun Emma but in the split second Esme had hoped Regina would grab the heart, Zelena beat her to it. Not being able to move far with her injured foot, Zelena smiled and revelled in the attention. For some reason, Esme felt that Zelena having Robins heart was so much worse than Emma.

"Well well. Look what we have here. The run away. Have you told her yet?" Zelena said as Esme made her way towards Regina who was cradling Robins body with pure fear in her eyes. Esme wasn't going to let her say much else.

"Give him his heart Zelena," she said as she gradually took over holding Robin. She knew that she wouldn't but she had hoped Regina would grasp her plan quickly. Emma was studying Esme with a penetrating stare but it was Zelena who held Robins heart so she focused on her. She took a deep breath and cast the same enchantment she had cast on Regina and within seconds Zelena was holding her head, crippled with pain. Regina took the opportunity to grab Robins heart and plunged it back into his chest with a speed Esme didn't realise a person could achieve. The minute she did, Esme's broke the connection with Zelena and helped Robin to his feet; he was weak but refused to show it. Esme turned to Emma, who she expected to be angry but when she turned, Emma was laughing. It was a deep, belly aching, blood curdling laugh that quickly disappeared when Zelena looked at Esme with murderous intent. She was about to raise her hand against Esme when Emma grabbed it forcefully.

"What's your name?"

"Why the hell would I tell you that?!" Esme wasn't exactly sure how to act around the darkest being of all, and although she had considered nice and polite, she settled on fearless and possibly stupid.

"It's actually quite uncanny," she said to Zelena while laughing, this time going as far as to throw her had back. "Tell me, do you know?"

"Know what?"

"Why, you're story of course. The reason my ally here brought you here."

Esme looked nervously in the direction of Regina, but took a breath and confidently replied, "She wants to use me."

"Oh? And how is that?" continued Emma.

"Take him home" Esme said to Regina.

"Answer me!" Emma screamed.

"Now!" Esme said to her. Regina looked confused but looked at Robin who was incredibly weak so she listened and they both disappeared in smoke.

Emma was infuriated at Esme's apparent ignorance. She stooped down to be right beside Esme and whispered in her ear, "you really should answer your superiors" and then flung Esme into the clocktower.


	14. Chapter 14

Esme woke up gradually. She wanted to jump up and protect herself but she just didn't have the strength; her head was pounding, her body ached and it hurt to breath. Esme wasn't sure what she was waking up to; she was half expecting it to be the woods or some random abandoned house Zelena had taken her to. So she wasn't sure how she felt when she came to and was faced with white walls, tubes coming out of her and machines everywhere. She also saw Henry sleeping in the chair in the corner.

"H-Henry?" she croaked. Her throat was dry and the things up her nose were annoying her. He opened his eyes and smiled.

"Hey!" He got up and walked over to sit on the bed beside her. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," she said with a little laugh. "What happened?"

"My m-the dark one threw you into the clock tower. Mom got to you in time to get you away from her but... her and Zelena have disappeared. You were really beat up so mom brought you here."

"Awesome... What's all this for?" Esme said, pointing at all of the wires she was attached to.

"It's pretty bad Ez. You've broken two ribs, you've broke your arm and been unconscious for two days."

"Two days?! Well what happened? Why were Emma and Zelena even there?" Esme tried to sit up but she was incredibly sore and weak.

"Ummm, its a long story Ez you should probably rest and we'll tell you all about it later."

"Could you get your mom for me kid?" Esme said, but the second she said it she realised how sharp it sounded so quickly added "please. Oh and Henry? Thanks. For waiting on me."

Henry turned around and smiled, then left to get his mom.

Esme thought he would be a while so was surprised when Regina entered the room within a couple of minutes.

"Oh. Hi."

"How's the patient?" she said with an actual smile.

"Oh, well pretty sore but i'll be fine. Thanks to you, I believe."

"It was nothing."

"It wasn't nothing Regina, you literally saved my life. I would say thats something."

"Seriously don't mention it." Esme thought she looked really uncomfortable, like she wasn't used to being thanked or praised. "Anyway, you're no good to me dead."

Esme just laughed at the very Regina response. "Well as grateful as I am, I didn't actually call you in here to thank you."

"No?"

"No. I want to practice. A lot."

"Is that so." Regina said, sitting down at the bottom of Esme's bed.

"Yeah. And not just with my seer powers. Seers are basically witches who have a natural ability for using spells aimed at the mind but can use some normal spells too, so once I practice my mental powers i..well I guess i'm askin-"

"You want me to teach you some spells?"

"Umm yeah.. I mean if you don't mind-"

"Why? You can do the basics and we are already going to practice your compelling?"

"No I know… I dunno its just.." She looked at Regina who actually looked concerned. "I guess I feel like i've been a pawn in this game you are all playing. And that's fine but I have been unconscious or faint anytime i try to use my magic and i'm sick of it. I guess I think if I master my powers a little better and I get a little stronger, i'll feel like i'm more in control? And the whole no magic thing has just made me better at running. Maybe if i get a little stronger, i can stop running."

Regina looked at her for a while; Esme felt like she wanted to ask something but she didn't. She just sat there and stared.

"Is that okay?"

"Oh, yes that's fine I can help you. But I warn you, i'm not exactly soft."

"Haha, I noticed," Esme joked but Regina didn't seem impressed. She was still staring at Esme so Esme thought it was best to approach her.

"You okay?"

Regina laughed but it wasn't particularly genuine. "You're the one in the hospital bed."

"Fair point," Esme laughed. "What I mean is..i dunno you've just been staring at me a lot… and seem like you have something on your mind." Esme did realise she was acting awkwardly but she didn't want to offend her. After all, she did save her life.

"Can't you just search my mind for it?"

"I can yeah. But I would rather you asked me; that way I know you want me to know whats on your mind."

Regina kept quiet then finally asked Esme what had been playing on her mind for days.

"What did Zelena mean by 'Did you tell her'?"

"Oh." Esme couldn't think of a good. Her mind went blank so she sat in silence for what seemed like hours until Henry saved her.

"Zelena almost hurt me. When I went to get Esme? But Esme helped and it was all good," Henry said.

Esme was very confused; Henry wanted his mom to find out so why the sudden change of heart when the opportunity actually came for her to know. But she went along with it and smiled nervously.

"Yeah. I was worried you'd be angry and wouldn't help me if I told you so we kept it a secret. I guess Zelena thought it would rattle me." This seemed to appease Regina who got back to business and asked "So when do you want to start practice?"

"When can I leave?"

Regina smiled but continued to look at Esme. "You're sure?" Here was a young woman who had been through a lot in just a couple of days; she had moved realm, been injured, almost killed twice and experienced a kind of danger she probably hadn't faced before. Regina was worried pushing herself too hard would cause more issues for her and she couldn't let Henry go through that; he had become attached to this young lady he had helped.

Esme took a deep breath in and replied, "positive."

Just as Regina got up to leave, Esme remembered a fairly important piece of information she thought Regina should know. "Oh Regina?"

"Yes?"

"They want to team up..Against you."

"Well that doesn't surprise me.."

"Why does she hate you so much?"

Regina seemed taken back by Esme's forwardness but Esme was too tired to use the filter that filtered what came into her head and what came out of her mouth.

"I was born." Esme was confused at this so waited for Regina to explain, which she did. "My mother gave her away, well sent her through a portal actually. She watched me grow up, thought I had everything she should have had and hated me for it."

"So because you were born, she wants to destroy your happiness?"

"Thats pretty much it yeah."

"And your happiness is your family...?"

"She won't touch Henry; she knows i'll end her if she tries. And i'll die before I let her hurt Robin and Roland."

"If you don't mind, i'd like to help with that." Now it was Regina who looked confused. "You've raised a wonderful son, he helped me, you all have. I guess I'm saying i would really like to return the favour."

Regina was humbled by the young woman's gesture. She could have left the second all of this drama unfolded, she could leave now. Instead she wanted to help; Regina was grateful. She left Esme sitting up on the bed to ask the nurse when she could leave. She questioned her saying that she could leave once some test had to be done but was glad she could leave here; she hated hospitals.

"Gina! Gina!" Roland said and jumped up into her arms.

"Hi honey!" she said kissing his head then kissing Henry's.

Roland came strolling over, arm around Henry's shoulders and kissed her head. "My love."

"Hi. What are you doing here?"

"We wanted to see how the young lady was. She did save my life." He kissed Regina's lips then walked into Esme's room, with Regina, Roland and Henry soon following. A nurse was in taking some blood and writing things down onto a chart.

"You were very lucky young lady. But now that you're conscious, if these tests some back all clear you're good to go." said the nurse but Esme wasn't really listening until she heard she could leave. Then she noticed a parade of people coming through the door.

"Hey guys!" Esme said with a huge smile on her face. Roland jumped down from Regina's arms and onto Esme's bed, quick to ask her a million other questions and play with all of the tubes coming out of her. Henry just sat by her side, smiling as if he was reassuring her of something. Truth be told, Esme may have been in pain, but she had never been happier. She was so happy chatting to the boys she was completely oblivious to the fact that Robin and Regina had put some new clothes at the bottom of her bed and were waiting expectantly.

"I think I overheard you can leave soon, ma' lady"

Esme looked at Regina, "I'd like to start now then."

Robin looked at Regina for some explanation but she was a too busy studying Esme. Should she really let this young woman who had almost died, practice something Regina had seen made her weak. But Esme seemed resolute in her decision and Regina thought she at least owed her the respect to help her with this mission of hers. Everyone left while Regina helped Esme get changed, much to both of their annoyance but Robin insisted when Esme struggles to stand let alone get changed. Once they were finished, Regina stepped out and Henry walked in. Robin quickly went to be by Regina's side while Roland followed Henry like a shadow and Esme emerged, with Henry on one arm and Roland on the other, looking very pleased with himself. Robin went to pack away Esme's old clothes but Regina was quick to take them off him and place them in the bin, an act Esme didn't exactly mind. They went quickly to Esme's room, and Esme immediately gave the boys a hug, thanked them for helping her and then asked for them to go enjoy something in Granny's. Esme showed them to the door and turned to Regina who was sitting at the dinner table.

"Will we start?"


	15. Chapter 15

And so they did. For three weeks, the two trained for hours every single day, pushing Esme to her limits each session they had. They started with mind control, just as Esme had planned, and focused solely on that for a full week. Esme learned everything about Regina; her lost love, killing her own father, her past as the Evil queen, all of it. When she got tired from compelling Regina they switched to magic. The rest of the time, they practiced Esme's mind control quickly before Regina taught her about spells, incantations, the ramifications of magic and how it all worked. Some days they worked so late or Esme was so exhausted, she would sleep on the couch. For Esme, although it was the hardest three weeks of her life, they were also the best. Along with actually feeling in control of her powers, she now had friends; something she hadn't had in far too long. She sometimes sat down with them all to have dinner; they would talk about what they had each done that day, Robin and Regina would make googley eyes at each other and Roland and Henry would scoff their food down like they were starving and talk about school and games. Or sometimes she fell asleep on the couch and she would wake up with a blanket around her, even though she knew she hadn't fallen asleep with one. Here, she was looked after and didn't have to fend for herself all day everyday; something she had done all to often. It was funny, before the three weeks of training, Esme couldn't wait to leave; she didn't feel safe here. But being here made her see that she wouldn't be safe anywhere and in her attempt to stop Zoe making her her prisoner, she had made herself exactly that; she had given up friends, her freedom and her happiness all to escape Zoe; she was so afraid of Zoe putting her in the tower, she built one all by herself. Now, she was still looking forward to leaving, but it was because her leaving meant they could keep this - Regina, Robin, Henry and Roland could keep the family Esme had learned they fought so hard to create. Although Zoe wasn't the reason she was here, she was still a threat but now, Esme had other people to think of. All 4 of them had helped her, so all 4 of them were in danger every moment Esme remained here; she arrived at the conclusion that she would leave Storybrooke once she had compelled Zelena one week into her training. After learning everything about Regina, Esme was a little shocked, and understandably so. She had sensed Regina had gone through something, but didn't realise just how much she had gone through, or how much pain she had caused. For a few days, Regina seemed embarrassed and Esme understood that; to her, Esme was a stranger who knew things even the man she loved didn't know. Regina could have seen her as a threat; someone who could make her world fall apart and Esme didn't want her to worry about that. Although she liked to keep her business to herself, she had done things differently this entire trip so thought that she may as well continue; she tried to make Regina feel more comfortable by telling her a little about herself. She told her about Messene and how it was a beautiful place but it never felt like home; the Emperor and Empress were hellbent on ruling a larger empire but couldn't agree on how so the island was divided into men and women. She told her about how she arrived there; she was sent through a portal and, like all the other unwanted babies, was sent to the elders house to be raised until she was old enough to learn a trade. She discussed how there was no magic in Messene, so whenever she was little and her dreams started coming true, she was moved from the Elders' house sent to the imperial palace. She stayed there from when she was around 12 to 14 but the Empress grew impatient that her visions didn't come on command; the empress thought that if she asked a question, Esme could see the answer but that wasn't how it all worked. She didn't spend very long on her time in the tower or how she escaped; that wasn't a time she was particularly proud of. Esme could understand why she was uncomfortable; the woman was so used to being in complete power but the things that Esme knew made her vulnerable. As Esme had hoped, her telling Regina some of her story helped and gave her some collateral in a sense.

The unnerving thing was that those three weeks had passed without any news of Zelena or Emma. Emma still walked the streets, even talking to Henry sometimes, but she would disappear for days and her dark energy remained. It was sad to see as it seemed to be a constant struggle between her saviour self and her dark self; Henry hated it. Henry, Regina and Robin spent days helping Snow and Charming search for Merlin, so Esme was often Roland's babysitter which she actually loved. Her arm was still in caste so he loved to add a new drawing to it each time they were together; she already had a dinosaur, a rocket, a tree, a car and something Esme assumed was tier a horse or a dragon. What Esme loved about all of this was that she was trusted; Esme had seen what Regina went through and how important Roland and Robin were to her, so to be trusted with them was an act bigger than any words Esme could think of. And, she was so used to having responsibility and worries, it was nice to get to act like a kid for a few hours a week. Those three weeks, for Esme, were bliss.

One Monday, however, that all changed. Although Esme thought both she and Regina had got past the awkwardness, Regina still seemed off with her, particularly that morning. Esme had fallen asleep following one of their training sessions so Henry woke her up for breakfast. She walked into the kitchen and Roland jumped down from the bar stool, took Esme's arm in a cast and showed Regina and Robin the brand new alien thing he had drawn. Robin was his usual bubbly self, joking that it was portrait of Esme, but Regina simply smiled and left. Esme thought she should follow and so she did but what she saw worried her. Regina was not one to look or act vulnerable but she was in the corner holding her head, either ignoring or unaware of Esme.

"Everything okay, Regina?"

Regina quickly looked up and acted fine. "It's just my head."

The two had shared a lot, they had indeed developed a short hand but Esme had thought Regina had warmed up to her so this rude response wasn't like her.

"You sure thats all? Maybe we should take a break from the mind stuff for a while?"

Regina didn't say anything, she just stood staring at the tiles in the hallway so Esme left and had a quiet word with Robin.

"Hey." she said, patting his shoulder.

"Hello," he replied and handed her a cup of coffee.

"Thank you. Umm listen, I think you should maybe check on Regina? She's acting weird but she wont tell me anything."

He laughed slightly, unaware about how serious Esme was. "And you think she'll tell me?" Then he realised the serious tone of Esme's voice and replied, "I'll talk to her."

"Thanks."

With that, she was appeased for the meantime and went to play with the boys before they went to school. They raced each other up and down the stairs and then Roland happily declared "I love it here!" Robin was watching, laughing with Regina hugging him from behind and resting her head on his shoulder. To Esme, it seemed weird that they weren't living together, at least not all of the time, but with everything going on, maybe it was better they stay out of the line of fire.

"Okay, I will take the boys to school because i'm gonna ask Granny for a job" Esme shouted to Robin and Regina, putting on Roland's coat.

"Oh really?" said Robin.

"Yeah! I mean I have to pay Regina back the rent money, I have to pay for more time in the room, I need to be able to buy food and, as grateful as I am to Regina, I would love to buy some clothes that aren't a skirt suit," Esme explained, which Henry thought was funny.

"What about our training?" Regina asked, emerging from the kitchen with two lunch boxes.

"Well, the main bulk of the work is done and we could work before and after the shifts. If it all gets too much i'll quit but I really need the money and it'll get me out of your hair for a while."

"Well I think its a great idea," said Henry as he kissed her mother goodbye, took his lunch then did some weird handshake thing with Robin.

"Me too!" shouted Roland, before he kissed both Robin and Regina goodbye, happily took his lunch and then took Henry's hand waiting to go to school.

"Well okay the-" Regina began but her reply was cut off by the sound of screams. The three adults paused and looked at each other.

"Stay with the boys!" Regina shouted to Esme before she ran out to see what was happening and Robin following.

Henry was about to run after then but Esme grabbed his arm.

"Nuh-uh squirt"

"But-"

"No Henry!" She lifted Roland, took Henry's arm went into the lounge. She used a sealing spell Regina had taught her on all of the doorways and window frames and stayed put. She and Henry read the storybook, which Esme had learned had started all of this, with Roland to make sure he was calm but Esme started to get worried when half an hour had passed and there was no sign of Regina or Robin. She was about to leave to check when Henry looked shocked. He was staring at a page.

"What's wrong?" Esme asked but he didn't respond. "Henry?"

"I..I don't get it..?"

"What? What don't you get?"

Then Roland pointed to the page and said "Daddy and Gina! Daddy and Gina!"

When Esme looked, there was a watercolour image of Robin and Regina, walking hand in hand in the forrest. It was a beautiful picture but Esme didn't understand the confusion behind Henry's reaction.

"Its beautiful?"

"It wasn't there before?"

"What?"

"I know every inch of this book Ez and it wasn't there before."

"So who put it there?"

"I don't know. Its just like page 23! But that appeared in Robin's backpack, not in the actual storybook."

"Page 23?"

"Its a picture of mom and Robin's first kiss"

"Okay..?"

"That meeting never actually happened. Its like the book was showing what could have happened."

"And you think this is the same thing?"

"It has to be!"

"I dunno it is the same kind of thing, why now?"

"I dunno."

"Wait, aren't you the author? Couldn't you just, I dunno, write your mom a happy ending?"

"Nobody should have that amount of control over peoples lives. And anyway, all magic has.."

"Consequences. Yeah your mom told me that a lot. So what, if you gave your mom a happy ending, someone else's could be taken away?"

"I honestly have no idea, but i'm not risking it to find out."

After that, Regina and Robin came running in through the front door. They both came running to hug Roland and Henry but Esme's spell flung them swiftly back into the hall; Robin saw the funny side but Regina did not. Esme smiled awkwardly and undid the spell, allowing the boys to run over and hug them both

"What happened?" Esme asked.

But Regina and Robin looked at one another and shook their heads.

Regina said, "Let's just say I hope you're as powerful now as you feel."


	16. Chapter 16

Esme felt a pang of fear; she did feel more powerful, but had always practiced her magic in a safe environment with Regina. Could she really control her magic in a possible life or death situation? That was something she wasn't so sure about. But she also felt a pang of excitement; if she could use and control her magic, she could stop running from Zoe and face her.

"What about the boys?" Esme asked Regina who was running up stairs while Robin was pulling things from cupboards.

"They're going to stay with Will. Regina will put an enchantment around them. They'll be safe," he said reassuringly but didn't offer further explanation.

"What's going on? Henry asked. When no one answered he asked, "Is it my mom?"

Regina came downstairs with a handful of clothes and put it in the duffle bag. She heard what Henry said and looked at Robin. She knew how hard all of this must have been for Henry but she didn't know how to tell him what his mom was doing.

"Please, Henry. Just trust me on this one, you need to stay with Will tonight and i'll explain everything in the morning," she said while holding his face in her hands. She wished she could protect him from all of the hurt he was going through but she knew she couldn't. When he nodded, she kissed his forehead. She looked quickly at Roland and said, "Come on honey, we're going on a little adventure." Roland was excited by this prospect so he grabbed Henry's hand, ran to give his father a kiss and then ran to the door. Regina quickly ran to catch up, grabbing the bag and kissing Robin in the process. Within minutes of entering, she and the boys had left, leaving Esme and Robin. Esme had been standing in the lounge, feeling pretty useless but Robin looked serious. Usually he was happy and balanced out Regina's intense personality but now, he seemed to be the one in control. The second Regina and the boys left he simply looked at Esme and said, "Are you ready?"

"Ready for what? What's going on?" Esme said, trying to catch up with him as he walked out of the door and towards the centre of town.

"Em-The Dark One walked into the cafe a while ago. Apparently she told everyone they had one hour to get prepared then left. After that, she blasted all of the windows to all of the stores, thats what the screams were for, and then she disappeared into black smoke."

"One hour to prepare? For what?"

"She didn't say. But Regina thinks… Regina thinks she has opened or is going to open…a portal."

Esme stopped walking as fear gripped her heart. "A portal? What for?"

Robin looked as her with sympathy in his eyes and that was the moment Esme knew; they were bringing Zoe here.

"Why?"

"It isn't a definite thing. Regina ju-"

"Why?!"

Robin paused for a few seconds, wondering whether or not he should burden her with this after she had been through more than enough for any young woman, but she looked at him expectantly and he felt she deserved to know what was going on.

"Regina thinks they see you as a threat, especially now that you two are close. To them, you are Regina's ally, making her harder to destroy so by rattling you, they hope to make Regina weaker. I think they are counting on her being as ruthless as you say she is; if she kills someone, they know you will be devastated and… Ultimately, they want to…"

"Kill me," she said, unable to voice any emotion. She had ran for years to avoid being used as someone's pawn in a game Esme had no part in; now she was going to die being exactly that.

Robin looked at her for a moment and then suddenly rushed at her and hugged her. She wasn't really an overly affectionate person but it felt nice; it felt as if for those brief few moments, he could protect her from the bad things she knew were coming. It calmed her.

When she began to step away, Robin grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eye.

"Eliminate you as a threat!" He paused and saw that he wasn't reassuring her at all so he took a different approach. He stopped, turned to look at her, took her hand and said, "Look Ez, if you want to run, we will help you."

That was the best thing he could have said. Yes, for a second, running had crossed her mind. She had done it many times before and hadn't been caught; she was good at it. But she hadn't had anything to stay for before; she never let herself get close to anyone so she formed no attachments. Even in Messene, she didn't have friends because Zoe and Cyrus isolated her for as long as Esme could remember and she didn't know who her family were. But here? She had Robin, Henry, Roland, Regina and even Granny, who she thought was warming to her ever since she started work in the diner last week. She also didn't have enough power; she couldn't practice her magic. For one, she had no teacher. Secondly, she didn't want to improve; once she improved, Zoe could used her more. Now? She had power. She could control her mind spells and could even do some witchcraft. She was stronger now, maybe she could finally face Zoe.

"I'm not running," Esme said definitively.

"What?"

"I'm not running. If Zoe's coming here, you are all in danger. Her fight is with me." Esme began walking again. She knew now what she had to do and was actually quite excited. She wasn't going to let Zoe capture her to take her back to Messene so there were three possible outcomes; she either compelled or captured Zoe or Zoe killed her. Esme wouldn't necessarily enjoy any of these but her entire situation would be over. She felt free; Esme's entire life had revolved around hiding or running from Zoe and now, she may not half to.

"Wait! Esme, you aren't doing this alone! You'll get killed!"

"Zoe's fight is with me Robin! You and Regina have done enough for me this last month! I didn't plan on repaying you by getting you both killed."

"But it wont be just Zoe! This whole thing is about destroying Regina so Zelena and the Dark One will be right there with her. You may be able to fight Zoe, but you're not strong enough to fight all three."

"She's not doing it alone." Regina came walking towards them; they were now nearly at the centre of town.

"Regina, yes i am! This isn't your fight!"

"Yes it is! You have become embroiled in all of this because i have helped you but this whole plan is aimed at destroying me. It stops now."

Esme hadn't thought about it like that. "How are the boys?"

Robin walked towards Regina and hugged her so tight Esme thought he wasn't going to let go.

Regina eventually pulled away but he held her hand; intent on ensuring her she wasn't alone. Regina explained, "They're fine. Henry is determined to come with us to find Emma but the spell i cast means no one can get in or out except for me so he should be fine. Will is entertaining Roland."

"They'll be fine, darling." Robin was clearly trying to calm a very tense Regina but it wasn't exactly working, primarily because he looked just as worried.

"What did you mean when you said 'it stops now'?"

"I'm going to capture Emma. That way, she can't kill anyone and the Charmings have some time to find Merlin."

"Your going to capture the Dark One?" Regina didn't look thrilled at Robins scepticism. "Not that i don't have full faith in you but with Zelena and this Zoe women in play, that's going to be a lot more dangerous than we think."

"I'll help with that," Esme proclaimed. The statement was met with confused expressions so she explained. "I can do the same enhancement i did on Regina on them all. Emma will come out of it quicker so Regina can deal with her and i'll focus on Zoe and Zelena. But what happens after that?"

"Well we can't kill Zelena because she's pregnant, the Dark one can't be killed and you won't kill Zoe so i think the town jail is going to have a few new residents," Regina said, beginning to walk again.

"Okay.. so we are just gonna capture them all, and put them in jail? What then?"

Regina paused slightly. "Lets just get them there first. Then we can decide what we are doing with them."

"Okay but i was just going to suggest maybe i could compel Zelena now?"

Robin looked at Esme, seeming manic in his attitude. "You think you can do that?"

"Well yeah, i think so. But just to be sure, i'll try with something small first. So long as you know there is still a slight risk to the baby."

"I thought you said you could do this without harming the baby?" Regina said, seeming quite annoyed about the fact Esme couldn't ensure the safety of a baby. Esme never understood how Regina could be okay with this whole baby situation, but during their more in-depth compelling sessions, Esme learned of the circumstances in which the baby was conceived. Esme still felt that Regina had grounds to be angry but she also saw how much Regina loved Robin and how tired she was of losing him; her getting over this was a huge sign of her growth and Esme respected that.

"I can't be sure of that, Regina. I'm sorry."

"Do it." Robin looked defiant and quite angry. Regina looked at him, clearly as confused as Esme was so he looked her in the eye and explained. "This whole situation is because of that woman and her pathetic hatred of something you couldn't even control. She has used the baby as a weapon in this ridiculous game of hers. Even with Marion, the baby was a constant reminder of me betraying you and now its Zelena…." The situation was awful and Regina knew how conflicted Robin was, so she hugged him close and simply said, "I know."

As touching as the moment was, Esme was anxious for what was about to unfold and felt slightly awkward being in the way of their romantic moment so was grateful for the fact they could now see the clock tower. The clock chimed and both Robin and Regina pulled apart, looked at Esme and started to walk.

"Remember, we don't know exactly what's happening." Regina said as she and Robin walked hand and hand. Robin offered his free arm to Esme, who linked her arm around his and the three walked towards the town, prepared for anything.


	17. Chapter 17

"Stop pacing," Regina said.

"What?" replied Esme, shocked that that is what she chose to focus on when they were waiting to fight a battle they may lose.

"You're pacing," Regina said, clearly intending that statement to be an explanation.

"Yes. Yes I am pacing and that is because I am nervous. By pacing, I prevent my heart pounding out of my chest! Is that alright with you?!" Esme had began this sentence quite calmly, but her nerves were getting the better of her and she finished it in a shrill shout.

"What she means is calm down," Robin explained, giving Regina a look and putting his arm around Esme's shoulders reassuringly.

"How are you two so calm?! Emma made this huge deal about how we have 'one hour' and she's over 30 minutes late to her own threat!"

"Emma is still..well Emma. The Dark One made that threat, maybe Emma has been able to fight it off for a while," Robin tried to explain. He looked at Regina for reassurance but she didn't seem convinced. She was focused on the darkness surrounding them, all too aware of how exposed they were. She was listening so intently, she jumped at the slightest sound, which Esme and Robin found amusing. That was until they all heard a loud thump come from the forrest. Regina and Robin looked at each other, clearly confused about whether or not it was something to be worried about but Esme began to run towards the sound. Just as she began to run, Emma came strolling out from the shadows and immediately started attacking Regina and Robin. Esme stopped to make sure Regina and Robin were okay but she needn't have worried. The old Emma seemed to be creeping in and Regina began appealing to her. Esme didn't have time to stop and listen to what she was saying, she had a hunch and if that was right, she needed to get to where that sound had come from. She thought she knew where the sound was from and so was hoping to make it to the camp site Robin had taken her to her second day here but she couldn't quite remember where that was. She just kept running but the dark wasn't helping so she was glad when another thump echoed through the forrest. She ran towards the sound and, as she had suspected, Zelena was trying to get into the camp. The enchantment Regina had cast wasn't quite keeping her out; she was able to get some of her body in but the spell flung her back when she had exceeded the limit. Esme waisted no time in helping Henry and Roland who looked terrified as they peered out from the tent.

"You're pregnant you idiot! You're gonna get that baby killed if you get flung back any more," Esme wasn't sure if she actually cared but she had to get her attention away from Henry long enough for Regina to hopefully come and help.

"Maybe. But this enchantment is Regina's fault so.. wouldn't that be quite a story. Killing the unborn baby of her one true love. I wonder could Robin ever truly forgive her." She was all too pleased at this evil plan she had just concocted. Esme didn't think she would actually go through with it but the fact she had even thought about it, and so quickly, sickened Esme.

"You really are evil aren't you. What exactly are you planning to do huh? Bash your way in there, take Henry and Roland then what? Kill them? Use them as some kind of leverage in your twisted little game? That poor baby doesn't stand a chance with you as a mother! They are kids! Two terrified kids who shouldn't have to be pawns in your pathetic game because your jealous your mother kept Regina and not you!" Esme didn't realise she was quite so angry until she started talking. When she saw the wicked smile that was plastered across Zelena's face and she felt her blood boil and all the anger came spilling out.

"Of all people, you should understand," Zelena said in a mock offended tone.

"Ha! Understand? Really, and why is that?"

"Because you and I are the same. Our mothers abandoned us. They sent us through portals because they couldn't bare to see us again. But then! Then they had another child, they loved them, cherished them and did everything for them that we grew up without. They rocked them to sleep, wiped their tears when they cried, looked after them when they were ill. Who did that for us, hm? You should hate Henry and Regina! That spoiled little brat had everything you didn't. He hasn't had to run from anybody, hide who he is, teach himself something he knew nothing about because Regina made sure he didn't. So you see dearie, we are the same, you and me. You're no better." She was now standing close to Esme, even holding one of her hands. Esme was entranced. This woman genuinely, truly believed that she and Esme were the same.

"You really believe we are the same? Ha! Zelena, we are nothing alike. I only have your word to say Regina is my mother and, no offence, but that isn't exactly reliable. And even if she was, I wouldn't hate her and I sure as hell wouldn't hate Henry! Why would I? Yes I would have questions but I trust that she had her reasons. As for Henry? He had no part in me being sent away, he wasn't even born and he didn't even know I existed so what exactly am I blaming him for? You have been angry your whole life about not having a family, but you've spent the last few years trying to kill the only family you have. That literally makes no sense! If Regina was my mom, I would be so grateful to have found her and have this whole family that I wouldn't care about the past! I would hug them, laugh with them, I would enjoy every single family dinner and relish in being a big sister because I have been looking for that my whole life. So no, you and I are not the same Zelena. Our situations might be but I would love my family, not try to kill them." With that, she twisted her hand out of the grip of Zelena's and waited with baited breath to see her reaction.

"Well if that is the case, lets see how you feel about this." She was able to put her hand inside the bubble Regina had created and blasted a ball of green fire just in front of the boys tent.

"No!" Esme went to push her but she used her other hand to fling Esme. Esme whacked her head against the tree that she hit but was up on her feet as fast as she could. She tried to do the mind enchantment but her own brain was still ringing from the impact of her collision with the tree. She was spinning but she could see Zelena's fire balls getting closer to the tent and, without even thinking, flicked her hand in Zelena's direction. When she focused and her head stopped spinning, she saw she had flung Zelena a few meters away, but she was conscious and getting up; Esme had to get the boys out. Will had his bow aimed at Zelena but he and Esme both knew he couldn't kill her while she was carrying Robins baby, and Esme wasn't sure she would stop otherwise; Zelena wanted to destroy Regina and taking Henry would do exactly that. Esme's head was still rattled so she ran towards the boys without even thinking about the incantation.

"How did you do that?!" Will exclaimed.

"Do what?" Esme said confused. Lifting and cuddling a very scared Roland and grabbing Henry's arm.

"Run through that bloody dome thing Regina put over us! That nutter's tried everything and hasn't been able to get through."

Esme didn't even realise it until Will pointed it out; she had got through the protection spell.

"I dunno. Maybe Regina meant for me to get through, in case of an emergency or somethi-" her sentence was cut off with another fireball which was way to close for comfort.

"Question time is over. Shot her in her right foot! Robin already did it so it should be painful enough to keep her he-" Another fire ball cut her off as they were going to the back of the tent.

"But-" They ducked as a fireball hit a tree just above them and some wild cackles echoed through the forrest.

"Now!" Will eventually obeyed and they ran as fast as they could when the heard the yelp and angry screams of a very annoyed Zelena.


	18. Chapter 18

"How did you do that?" Henry shouted as they were following Will.

"Do what?" Esme panted; she was carrying Roland on her back so running was much more difficult than she wanted it to be.

"Get through mom's spell." He couldn't really elaborate too much; he was struggling to keep up with Will who was racing through the trees and keeping out of sight.

"You too? I honestly don't know squirt. Just keep running." Esme knew Henry wouldn't drop it but was glad he didn't mention it again when they were running. She was grateful to see something that looked familiar; Will had brought them onto the stretch of road Esme had fainted on weeks ago. They stopped running, caught their breath and began walking towards the centre of town. Esme had put Roland down now and he was walking hand in hand with Henry so Esme used the extra mobility to search the woods. Esme searched their right while Will searched the left but nothing appeared. Esme was worried perhaps she had fallen too hard and the baby may have got hurt but then she consoled herself with the fact that Zelena didn't seem to care about her baby at all when she was willingly throwing herself across the forrest. Will was doing a wonderful job of entertaining the boys on their long walk along the road, so Esme took great delight in joining in the games they played. The journey made her forget the danger they were in, until they heard a bang come from the town centre.

Esme turned to Will.

"Take the boys somewhere safe. Anywhere that is away from here." With that she left running again; Robin trusted Will, so Esme had to as well. She was closer to the town centre than she thought but she couldn't make her legs go any faster. When she arrived, she saw Emma in a corner holding her head like a mad woman while Zelena, who's foot seemed fine albeit she walked with a limp, cackled. Esme couldn't see what she was cackling at until she got closer; Regina was flung across the road and Robin was cradling her, yelling things at Zelena that made no difference. Zelena was circling them, like a cat who played with a mouse before she killed it. Esme was incensed; this woman was planning to destroy a woman's life all because she was born? Esme wasn't sure if Regina was okay, she certainly didn't look it, so she quickly performed the mind spell that caused Zelena to fall to her knees. She only stayed down for a moment; Esme knew that the spell wore off quicker the more times it was used against someone but she had to do something to get to Regina and Robin. While Zelena was on the floor Esme ran but she wasn't quick enough and Zelena promptly flung her across the street. Esme's enchantment on Zelena's mind must have affected the strength of the spell and so Esme was able to get up almost immediately. She was scouring her brain for one of the many spells Regina had taught her but couldn't remember any which was problematic because Zelena was now focused on her.

"Well well. Look at you playing the part of the protective daughter. Too bad the family reunion will be short lived." Esme hoped Regina was unconscious and hadn't heard. Zelena seemed more unhinged than usual; granted walking on a foot that had a hole through it must have been painful but this didn't seem like pain, it seemed like madness. It was as if her plan had fallen apart so the scheming, evil Zelena that was usually hidden behind a brilliant, extravagant facade of calm and coolness was now brought to light. Zelena remained true to her threat and flung Esme across the street. This time, the spell was performed with full force. She bounced off the hard ground, landed on her broken arm and whacked her head against the ground. Her eyes felt heavy and everything was spinning when she opened them but she saw that Robin was shouting something at Zelena. She couldn't hear because her ears were ringing from the impact of the fall but it didn't really matter. There was nothing he could do; Regina was possibly dead and Esme truly felt like she would be joining her. She hadn't really thought about how or when she was going to die, but now that she was faced with it, she wanted only one thing; she didn't want to die alone. She had been alone her whole life; the elders weren't caring, she was isolated in the tower and she had to remind alone while on the run. That was, until she got here. Here she had made a friend in Henry. He listened to her, calmed her, made her laugh and even tried protecting her. He stayed with her when she was in the hospital, placed a blanket over her to stop her getting cold and visited her almost every shift she had worked at Granny's to make sure she was getting on okay. She had met a comedian in little Roland. It didn't matter how weak Esme felt or how bad a mood she was in, Roland always managed to make her smile. He had a gift; to make a bad situation better and Esme felt that her cast was the symbol of that. She had met a role model in Robin. She didn't and never would understand how he put Regina in the situation she was in now but Esme could see he woke up every single day regretting his decision. He fell completely for a woman who had an evil past and, although he didn't always show it, he was finally fighting for her. The man had been through a huge torment but chose to let love win. She had met an ally in Regina. A woman who had been through so much, Esme was in awe of her. Everything was pointing at her remaining a villain, yet she fought it. She fought every evil impulse, suffered every defeat and forced herself to be and do good. She was the strongest woman Esme had met and, considering she didn't have a very good teacher, she was born to be a mother. Although Esme didn't believe Zelena's idea about Regina being Esme's mother, Esme lay there on the cold hard floor and wished for nothing more. These people had taught her more over the last few weeks than anyone else had her whole life. It was her privilege to have protected Henry and Roland and it was her wish to die alongside Regina and Robin. She had never felt alone when she was with them before, so she used every ounce of strength she could muster, and crawled on all fours to them. Esme fell beside Regina and Robin stood protectively in front of them both, even thought he could do nothing. He was still shouting at Zelena but it was hopeless. The woman had no humanity and was simply revelling in the torment she had caused. Esme opened her eyes and saw Regina. She wasn't sure or not if she was dead, but Esme knew there would be one person on her mind if she wasnt.

"Henry is fine Regina. So is Roland. They're gonna get out of this don't worry," Esme croaked as she brushed Regina's hair away from her eyes. As she did that, she felt a little spark on her fingertip and then she remembered. Within seconds, her defeatism left her, anger rejuvenated her and she had formed a plan to save them. Robin was distracting Zelena so Esme crawled a little further and concentrated on Regina's hand. She knew that Regina being unconscious would make it more difficult but she couldn't see another way out of this. Esme imagined the power Regina had, laid out a path through which it could travel from Regina's body to hers and extended her hand towards Zelena. She wasn't sure what to expect but what she had imagined in her head wasn't what followed. A brilliant, white beam flung from Esme's hand and encompassed Zelena. Esme knew that she couldn't hurt her badly as it would hurt the baby but she had to do something to allow them to get her out. She concentrated and remembered an immobilisation spell Regina had used in her younger days. It wasn't a particularly strong spell and typically wore off quickly but Esme was hoping with their combined power, it would last longer. She willed Zelena to be immobilised, held the beam until she no longer felt resistance and then she stopped the spell. The beam had been quite blinding but when it died down, Zelena was standing, in the middle of the street, and was perfectly still. Robin was astounded and simply looked at Esme. Esme couldn't even muster a response, she had used every ounce of energy on that spell. She lay down, her head ringing, but was jolted awake again when she heard Henry shouting 'Mom!'. A voice she presumed was Will's was calling him back but it was useless. Within seconds Esme could feel Henry beside her, by his mothers side. Robin wasted no time in telling Will to lift Esme and he would lift Regina as he wasn't sure how long the spell would last.

"Jail," Esme grumbled to Will, although she wasn't clear and had to repeat it. Will told Robin what they had heard but he didn't care.

"We need to get them safe first. Henry run and tell the doc what happened, we'll be there soon," Robin replied. Esme's eyes were too heavy to open, but she heard Robin soothe Regina. He told her everything would be okay, he would sort out everything, and begged her to be okay. Esme smelled the bleach and medicine of the hospital and before she knew it, she felt the cold cotton of the hospital bed and groaned slightly when the doctors put needles in her arms. She heard them fussing over Regina; she couldn't hear much but she heard that Regina needed to get a scan and the doctors were concerned about the gash on her head due to the amount of blood loss. Robin must have been in the way of the doctor as Esme heard the doctor telling him several times to move but apparently he didn't listen. Robin told Will to get Zelena back to the jail, a request Esme was relieved to have heard. Regina was wheeled almost immediately out of the room and Robin was told to stay so he came and sat beside Esme. The morphine the nurses had given her was helping the pain but made her even more sleepy, so she kept her eyes closed as Robin held her hand and began talking.

"I don't know how you did it, but thank you. You saved my son and my-Regina, and thats something I will never be able to repay you for. You did a wonderful job, ma lady. Get some rest." With that, he kissed her head and sat in the chair in the corner.


	19. Chapter 19

Esme woke up slowly, tentatively. Her mind was fresh and clear, like she had slept for a week, but her body ached when she breathed. As she opened her eyes, she saw Regina in the bed next to her with tubes and wires connecting her to machines, looking pale and weak, and Robin who had fallen asleep holding Regina's hand. Esme tried to sit up, desperate to get a nurses attention to see what was going on with Regina but she couldn't; Roland's beautifully decorated cast that went half way up her arm was now replaced with a blank, white one that secured her arm at a 90 degree angle. Esme momentarily panicked about where the doctors had put the old one but she calmed down when she noticed it sitting in the chair along with Robin's jacket. Esme tried to push herself up in the bed but with one arm, it was problematic so she resorted to pressing the button that slowly raised her to a sitting position. Her frustrated grumbles woke Robin, who immediately looked at Regina, as if he hoped something had changed since he had fallen asleep. Esme was shocked at his appearance as he looked at her; his eyes were dark and bloodshot, as if he hadn't slept in days, his skin was pale and he was wearing the same, bloody clothes he wore that night. As worried as Esme was about him, he felt the same about her; she looked so pale and fragile lying in the hospital bed but he was used to seeing her strong and determined. He stroked Regina's forehead and cheek before talking to Esme, making sure she knew he was there.

"How are you feeling?" Robin asked, the concern etched into his face.

"I'm fine. My head and ribs are sore but I think this thing is helping," she said, pointing to the drip that she knew was giving her morphine.

"It should be," Robin laughed for a brief moment before returning to the solemn state he was in before. "You had some head trauma but they gave you a scan and a couple of stitches and are confident you'll be fine. Zelena broke a couple of your ribs but they'll give you a brace to use when we take you home and they should heal nicely," Robin said, only briefly looking at Esme. His main focus was on Regina; studying her face and the machines she was connected to.

"How is she?" Esme said, genuinely concerned. She had always seen Regina as a strong, fearless and almost indestructible woman. Now, she seemed delicate.

"Not good i'm afraid," he said, with tears beginning to sting his eyes as he looked at Esme. "Before you came yesterday, Zelena was trying to get Emma on side. She got tired of Regina arguing so tried suffocating her with a spell. I stopped her, she got mad and flung me. She came closer to… I don't know what..but Regina stopped her." Robin paused, clearly struggling to contain her emotions. " She blast a fireball to her stomach, through her into the clocktower and then flung her from the top to the bottom of the street." With that, Robin broke down. He was crying now and with every tear, Esme's heart broke for him.

"Come here! You can't blame yourself for this! Regina is the strongest woman i've ever met. If anyone can survive this it's Regina." Robin had come over to sit beside Esme and all Esme could do was hug him. He held onto her tight, grateful for the comfort.

"The doctors will make sure she has everything she needs. Robin this isn't your fault."

He pulled his head off of Esme's shoulder and looked her in the eye. "Of course it is. Without me, Zelena wouldn't even be here!"

"You don't know that! She manipulated you, Robin. You're just as much a victim in all of this as anyone!" Esme said this not because she whole heartedly believed it, but because she knew this is what he wanted and needed to hear. She never did understand why Robin slept with Marion eve though he had told Regina he was in love with her. She knew it wasn't a case of playing the field because Esme saw that every bone in his body worshiped this woman, but she didn't know what other reason there could be. Although Esme was trying to be as comforting as possible to the man who had done nothing but help her, Robin picked up on her doubt. He patted Esme's hand before walking to be beside Regina again. He kissed her forehead and then sat with her hand in his.

"I do love her, you know. I did then, and I do now. I..I slept with Zel..-Marion because I thought I was never going to see her again. I regretted every moment of it, but thought if I could just make myself love Marion again, the pain would stop. I kept seeing her face, the hurt in her face if she were to find out I had betrayed her. I couldn't sleep because I knew she would think I didn't love her because of my mistake and that's not true. That was never true." Robin was talking to Esme, but he was looking at Regina as if he was explaining it to her. "When she came to that apartment, I was so, so happy, but so ashamed. And her face when Zelena told her… I reply that moment every night and it kills me knowing I caused her that much pain." He forgot Esme was even in the room, he was so focused on Regina. He knew she could hear him, he just knew, and so he needed her to hear this. "I vow that I will spend the rest of my life making this up to you. I don't expect you to forgive me, my love, because I will never, ever forgive myself."

Esme felt tears sting her eyes and role down her cheek, so she quickly wiped them away. She felt ashamed she ever questioned Robin's love for Regina and annoyed at herself for making him talk about things he clearly didn't want to at such a difficult time. He had done so much for her already, he deserved to be treated better.

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, Robin."

"Actually, I do. You risked your life to save ours, even though I know you didn't agree with my actions."

"You are an honourable man, Robin. I'm sorry I doubted that." Robin smiled a warm smile and he and Esme laughed at their deep conversation.

"Where are the boys? I have a whole new cast now for Roland to decorate," Esme said, holing up her awful cast.

"So I see! They are with Will but i'll bring them by later. He'll be thrilled, they both will. Henry has barely left since last night. He slept beside her last night." Robin stopped before he started to cry again.

"She will be fine Robin. She's not gonna let you go now, trust me." This made Robin smile slightly which lightened Esme's mood slightly. She was watching Regina as carefully as Robin was for a few moments until Robin broke the silence.

"Oh! Umm well the boys were wondering if you would like to sleep over at Regina's house? At least until you're back on your feet." He was looking out the window and plastered a smile on his ace Esme was sure wasn't genuine. Her confusion soon lifted when she saw the door fling open.

"Ezzy!" Roland bounced into the room and immediately jumped on Esme's bed where he lay on her stomach and gave her a cuddle. Henry followed and ran to give Esme a hug too, but his smile disappeared when he saw his mom.

"Ezzy?" Esme said looking at Henry, who simply laughed and shook his head.

"Hey guys! How are things?" Esme was really only asking Henry, hoping he would tell her that Zelena was in the prison where Esme was secretly hoping she would rot. Thankfully Roland was too busy studying Esme's blank cast to notice what was going on.

"Good. Zelena is back in her cell and Grandma and grandpa are watching her." Henry explained, aware how worried Esme would be. He was glad to see her whole body relax.

"Hey Robin, Roland needs more clothes at our house. Why don't you get them then go home and get some rest? I'd like to take care of mom for a while," Henry said. He had walked over to Robin and put his arm around his shoulder, hoping he would agree. Robin looked incredibly reluctant but Roland had moved from Esme's lap to Robin's and was asking him to please get more clothes so that he could stay with Henry longer. Although he hid it very well, Esme felt that Henry had something to say to her, something that they had to be alone for. When Robin kissed them all on the foreheads and left with Roland in his arms, Esme looked at Henry expectantly.

"Soooo? What's up squirt?"

"I'm not a fan of Squirt." He said with a laugh before saying, "I'm so glad you're okay."

Esme was still emotional from her chat with Robin, so simply held Henry's hand as she was worried she would cry again if she spoke.

"Second, I think i've figured it out." He then pulled out the notebook he had used to list how Esme was, in fact, Regina's daughter.

"Henry, not all of this agai-"

"No listen! Your main reason for not being mom's daughter is because of the whole age thing, right?"

"Well-"

"Well, mom cast a spell that prevented everyone from ageing here. I think that you aged normally when you were younger, because mom hadn't cast her spell yet. When mom had, somehow the magic got linked to you but in a weaker state so instead of stopping your ageing completely, it just slowed down. Then it went back to normal again when my other mom broke the curse."

"Wha- Henry that doesn't even make sen-"

"Zelena wouldn't have brought you here if she wasn't pretty sure you were moms daughter, you're magic is connected, you are both alike and, most importantly, I think you're beginning to see its the truth too."

Henry was smiling because he knew he was right and Esme couldn't really refute it. She had toyed with the idea, but the spell she cast with Regina against Zelena pretty much confirmed it. Regina had taught her all about blood magic and Esme had met enough witches to understand that familial magic was stronger if combined;they were definitely related somehow.

"Yes! I knew it!" Henry cheered triumphantly but stopped when he saw that Esme wasn't pleased with his boasting. "Sorry. But I think I have bigger news."

"Oh you mean bigger than finding a long lost mother?"

"Well..I think Robin..I think Robin is your father."


	20. Chapter 20

"Ha! What?! Okay squirt, the mom..well at least I can see your argument there but that? That's ridiculous! That's not right, kid, i'm sorry."

"Hear me out okay?!"

"I have heard you out, Henry! Okay I know you think that there are plenty of reasons that me and Regina are somehow miraculously related but there are also reasons that she isn't! You are forgetting that I made her show me her entire past, tell me every single dirty secret and not once did she mention anything about a daughter or even a baby. Oh! And if Robin was my father, that would mean they not only met before Marion, but were in love before all of this too?" With this, she saw Henry's smugness leave his face. "I'm sorry squirt."

"Okay, granted, I don't have all of the answers but it makes sense Esme! How else did you get through the barrier?"

"What? This is all because of the barrier? Kid maybe the spell was weak, maybe I did some sort of magic subconsciously, I dunno…" As she explained all of this, she saw this disappointed look in Henry's eyes and it made her stop talking. He had come here with so much hope and excitement and she had just taken that away from him. "I'm sorry kid."

Henry looked for a minute blankly into space for a moment, then looked at his mom and then looked at Esme, as if this pause had made him certain of something.

"Esme you don't understand, that barrier was created using blood magic. There is no way you could have got through it if you weren't mother and dau-"

"Henry, I have told you-"

"Mom didn't use her blood to create the spell Ez, Zelena would have been able to get through then." Esme could see where Henry was going with this and had absolutely no counter argument: Regina was too powerful and loved Henry too much to risk casting a spell that wouldn't protect him. "It was Robin's. That's why Zelena was able to get her hand through to fire at us; the baby she is carrying is half Robins so she had some of his blood in her, sort of. If she was able to get partly through with a little of Robin's blood, you must be-"

"Fully related," Esme said as it finally dawned on her. Although she didn't want to admit it, and it was ridiculous, it did actually make some sense. Esme as in a trance - thinking of the many questions she had, trying to think of the many counter arguments - but the second Henry took her hand, she snapped back into reality.

"You okay, Ez?"

"I never really wondered you know. I mean, I always wondered about what it would be like to have a mom and a dad, someone to take care of me, someone like you have. But I never wondered why they gave me up or who they were. Does that make me selfish?"

Henry smiled, "No, it doesn't make you selfish."

Esme patted Henry's hand, just as Robin had patted hers and she felt ridiculous. For a split moment she thought 'oh you're like your dad' but that was silly; she didn't even know him, not really, and the only reason she knew everything about Regina was because she compelled Regina to tell her.

"Henry, I totally understand all of the things you're saying, okay? And I agree, there are links between us but… Look, your mom loves you and Robin loves Roland. He even brought Zelena here because he couldn't leave his unborn baby. Do you really think that they could give up a baby and just forget about it? And they had never even met before Marion. Regina still regrets that night in the bar." Henry nodded sympathetically for a while but looked disappointed. "I'm sorry squirt. I just think that plan of yours needs a few tweaks." Esme was trying to be sympathetic and not crush his hopes but she felt like she came across patronising. Thankfully, Henry didn't seem to think so as he was too focused, staring at his mother, that was before he gasped.

"Henry!" He had jumped so quickly he had scared the life out of Esme.

"Sorry! But I think i've figured it out."

"Figured what out?"

"A memory spell!" Henry looked at Esme, who was looking at him as if he was insane. "I know it seems far-fetched but what if someone put a memory spell on Mom and Robin and then sent you through that portal?" Esme toyed with the idea but her mind was numb; her body felt like she had gone through 12 rounds with Mike Tyson and now had a boy, who could quite possibly be her brother, tell her that she had found her mother and father.

"What if the memory spell is the spell Zelena wants you to break!"

Henry said confidently, looking as if he had just convinced himself that this was the truth.

"You're too smart for your own good, you know that?" Esme laughed as she ruffled Henry's hair., which he didn't appreciate and immediately fixed. Henry's face lit up, certain he had now convinced Esme of this reality but she was quick to ensure he knew what she thought.

"I'm sorry Henry, I really, truly am. But this is ridiculous! You think that Robin and Regina met years before Marion, fell in love and had me, right?" Esme paused but continued when Henry nodded.

"Then, you think that someone put a memory curse on them both to not only forget me, but forget each other?" Again, Esme waited until Henry nodded in agreement before continuing?

"Henry that's basically impossible. Do you have any idea the amount of magic that would take? Making parents forget their child and two people forget the loves of their lives goes against everything in nature; I have never even heard of a witch who could muster enough power to actually cast the spell, let alone make it last this long!"

"If it's against nature, they could have used dark magic right?"

"Well, yeah in theory. But the deeds they must have done to gather enough power must have been horrific, if its even poss-" Their conversation was interrupted by Regina; she was making a grumbling sort of noise.

"Henry get the doctor!" Esme said. Henry bolted out of the door and Esme unplugged herself from the machines she was connected to before she pushed herself out of bed and fell into the chair beside Regina's bed and held her hand.

"It's okay Regina! You're fine. We are in hospital but Robin and the boys are fine and Zelena's in prison. You did it and you're going to be just fine, okay?" Regina continued to grumble slightly until the doctor came in with two nurses. The doctor began talking to Esme as he fussed around Regina and the nurses fussed around her.

"Good, Miss Esmerelda, you're up. We're going to need to do some tests but your scans show no sign of any longterm damage and apparently no longer require the morphine so we could send you home tomorrow." The nurses were taking more of her blood as she sat in the chair and insisted that she return to her bed. She eventually relented, many because she wanted them to help Regina instead, and was hooked back up to the machines within a couple of minutes.

Henry seemed pleased at the news , but he was clearly concerned about his mom so Esme held his hand that he had placed on her shoulder, trying to comfort him. Before Esme could ask what was going on, Robin came running in again.

"What's happened? Is she alright?"

"She's fine. She's waking up, actually." The doctor was connecting her to another machine but didn't say anything else. Robin didn't need further explanation and immediately went to the other side of Regina's bed, held her hand and kissed her forehead. Once the doctor had checked Regina's stats and whatnot, his attention returned to Esme.

"We just need you to fill out the discharge forms and we can get you ready to leave." He handed her at least 6 pages of notes before returning his attention to Regina.

Esme was daunted but immediately began filling out the sheets of paper while Robin and Henry were with Regina.

"Hey Robin, whats the address of Grannys?"

"Why?"

"Because I need to write where I am living for any follow ups?"

"You're not staying in that flat!"

"What? That's where i've been staying for weeks and-"

"You're alone there. What if something happens and you're there alone? No, you'll stay with us at Regina's house."

"Wh- Are you sure? I mean you guys have a lot going on without m-"

"I'm sure." Robin looked at Esme and smiled, reassuring Esme he was positive about this decision.

"Awesome!" Henry said, breaking his focus from his mother for a brief moment to move his chair and hold his hand out for Esme to hold.

"Yeah, awesome. Thank you." Esme gave Robin a grateful smile and took Henry's hand, although she was sure he couldn't have been comfortable; he was now in the middle of she and Regina with his arms outstretched.

"It is the least I can do, my lady. You did save Regina's life-"

"A…And Robins," Regina croaked. Both Henry and Robin stood up, staring at her in amazement before showering her with hugs and kisses. She couldn't really move but her eyes were open and she looked incredibly happy to see Robin safe and well.

"Brilliant. Now excuse me boys and let me check the patient."

"We'll just be outside, alright my love?" Robin asked before giving Regina a long yet delicate kiss on the lips. He then put his arm around an uncomfortable Henry's shoulder and the two waved to Esme as they stood outside and looked in the glass window. The doctor checked Regina over once again and concluded that she needed to stay in for a few of days for observation but he was hopeful she would make a full recovery without any need for surgical intervention. He left after telling both Esme and Regina they were very lucky, then spoke with Robin and Henry.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes. How are you?" Esme asked Regina, aware that she couldn't ask much as Regina couldn't possibly answer.

"Sore." Esme knew she wouldn't be able to answer very much, but she also felt like this answer was a sign Regina didn't want to talk so she didn't talk any more. The room was silent for a few moments, so silent that Esme could hear Robin pester the doctor about Regina's and even Esme's condition.

"I… I heard.. you" Regina croaked. Esme's heart immediately fell to the bottom of her stomach.

"What?"

"You.. and …Henry," Regina said, taking a deep breath between every word.

Regina knew everything.


	21. Chapter 21

"What?" Esme asked, not wanting to ask anything more incase Regina's 'everything' wasn't actually everything. Esme's heart had sank to the bottom of her stomach and it didn't seem like that was going to be relieved any time soon because the doctor entered their room again, along with Robin and Henry. Esme didn't want to panic either of them, so plastered a smile on her face, even though she was terrified every time Regina moved or groaned. The doctor fussed around Regina again, poking and prodding, and explained to her that although her vitals seemed to be good, they wanted to keep her in for a few more days for observation. Robin sat beside her, holding her hand and stroking her hair as the doctor spoke, so she took the news surprisingly well; Esme didn't know many things about her, but she knew she wasn't the kind of woman to get knocked down and stay down.

"But you, Esmerelda, can go home later this evening."

"Are you sure? I mean, she was in pretty bad shape yesterday?" said a concerned Henry. Esme laughed, patted his back and mouthed 'I'm fine' to him. Although she didn't believe his whole family theory, at least not fully, she loved how protective he was of her.

The doctor laughed and lifted the completed discharge papers off of Esme's bedside cabinet.

"Yes Henry, i'm sure. Her vitals are good, her scans show no damage and her blood work has come back all clear."

"That's brilliant news!" said Robin as he stood up from the chair. "I'll run home, get you a change of clothes and then we can get you out of here," Robin explained as he made his way to the door. He kissed Regina's hand and told her he would be back soon but Regina held on, not letting Robin leave.

"Wh-Where.." Regina started to say, but her throat seemed to be too dry to complete it.

"Where what, mom?" Henry asked, standing up from the side of Esme's bed and heading towards his moms.

"I think she's asking where i'm staying?" Esme said after seeing Regina just point at Esme. She was worried about what Regina's reaction would be to the news considering everything that she had possibly overhear and her anxiety wasn't helped by Regina nodding in agreement.

Robin returned to her side and explained softly, "I thought it would be better if she stayed with us. She can't stay alone in that flat after everything that happened yeste-"

"No." Regina had been struggling to keep her eyes open for any length of time, clearly drowsy from the drugs, but when she said this, she looked Robin straight in the eye.

"What? Regina she saved our l-"

"No," Regina insisted and then turned to look at Henry. She stroked his face before holding his hand. Robin looked utterly bemused and was about to push the matter further before Esme butted in.

"I told her having me live with you all would make it more dangerous for the boys, she agreed." Esme knew this was a weak reasons, so wasn't surprised that Robin didn't look entirely convinced and Henry definitely didn't but he went along with it, aware something else must have happened.

"Robin, would you mind getting me some more clothes please? Preferably not one of her skirt suits," Esme said, trying to lighten the mood. Robin laughed, and just as he was about to open the door, he joked, "Pant suit, it is m'lady". As he thought it was just the four of them, he did a royal style bow, so was embarrassed that the grumpy man was standing beside him waiting to get in, much to Henry and Esme's amusement. He straightened up, apologised and shook the man's hand.

"Sorry to interrupt, i just wanted to see how everyone is," he said, looking at Esme and sort of smiling. Esme smiled back, but was anxious for everyone to leave so that Esme could ask Regina exactly what she heard and then discuss it with Henry, so she was glad Robin looked back at the Regina, who was now sleeping, and stepped out to talk to Grumpy. He closed the door and as Esme watched, to see exactly what was happening the two men left together. Esme whispered 'Henry', who was watching his mother sleep, and gestured for him to come over to her.

"She said she knows!" Esme whispered whenever Henry came to be beside her.

"Knows what?" Henry asked, confused.

"She knows my really name is Esmerelda- What the hell do you think she knows!" Esme said, frustrated that Henry wasn't grasping the severity of this situation as quickly as she wanted him to.

"She overheard?" Henry didn't seem as worried about this revelation as Esme needed him to be.

"Yeah she overheard! But i don't know exactly how much, you need to ask her."

"Why me!"

"She's your mom!"

"Well she could be yours t-"

"Not helpful." Esme hoped Henry was only kidding, and thought that he was, but she needed him to be serious for a second; if Regina knew, there were two options. They either ignored it, Esme compelled Zelena and then left or, they found out whether or not it was true but then that opened up a whole other bank of problems.

"Sorry, when? Now?" Henry asked.

"It's gonna have to be, Robin will be back soon!"

"But she's asleep!"

"So wake her up!"

"You wake her up!"

"And how exactly am i gonna do that hooked up to all of these machines! She's your mom!"

"You don't even need the machines! The doctor sa-"

"Nobody has to wake me up." Henry took her hand and smiled. He looked worried for a moment but was relieved at the progress she seemed to making with her speech; she was still talking very tentatively but she wasn't stuttering as much and was a little louder.

"Mom, we can explain. Zele-" Henry began to explain but Regina didn't want to discuss it any further; the very idea was ridiculous.

"It's not true." Regina was defiant in this statement. Her definitiveness silenced Henry and Esme, so much so that the room was filled with silence for a few moments until Esme decided she had to say something.

"But mo-"

"It's not true. It can't be. I hadn't met Robin 20 years ago."

"Yeah, but mom listen-" Henry was desperate to get his mother to at least hear him out, so stood up to grab his notebook from his bagpack.

"Is that why you are here?" Regina asked Esme while Henry was scrambling to search for his notebook.

"Sort of. It was Zelena who brought me here. I don't know exactly how but she admitted it. She said that she wants me to-" Esme had to stop. Memory spells were tricky, anything could set them off, and so if Henry's theory was true, Esme didn't want to say too much incase it broke the spell and Zelena got exactly what she wanted. Regina didn't seem pleased that Esme offered no explanation and so pushed her further.

"To what? Tell me. Now," Regina said with particular venom behind her words.

"Henry thinks-"

"Henry knows!" Henry interrupted.

"Henry knows, that its to break a memory spell someone placed on you to forget me." Regina looked at her, studying her face to see any hint of lying.

"It might be true. It may not be true. Either way, Zelena wants to use me to destroy you. So, i have to compel her sooner rather than later. We nearly died trying to capture her; if Em- sorry, the Dark one- lets her out again, we're screwed. So what exactly is it that i'm compelling her to do?" Esme was a lot more assertive than she intended to be, but she was slightly stressed at recent revelations. Regina noticed the severity of her tone, but was too tired to retaliate and so she simply answered her question.

"I need you to compel her to forget about me."

"What? Do you mean, to her you don't exist or -"

"To her, i'm Robin's partner; i wont be her sister." Esme was surprised at this; she figured it would be to forget people but she thought it would be to forget everyone. This decision was quite selfless actually; this meant that, in theory, Robin could still have a relationship with his unborn child and hopefully, everyone could get a long better without Zelena being hellbent on destroying Regina. Esme must have been thinking about this for too long as Regina interrupted her logic.

"You seem surprised?" Regina said, with a little laugh.

"I am." Esme didn't really want to explain any further but Regina gave her this look that half endeared and half terrified her so she did.

"It's just- You're just a lot more considerate than i thought, i guess" Esme replied, trying to act as coy as she could, to avoid any awkwardness, while still ensuring Regina knew that she was sincere. It seemed to work because for the first time since Robin arrived, Regina smiled.

"So you can do that? Just wipe someone's memory?" Throughout her time spent here, Esme had learned that Henry was incredibly moral and so she wasn't entirely surprised that Henry didn't seem pleased with this totally intrusive plan.

"Well, thanks to your mom, i think that i can yeah. But there is a problem. Just like memory spells, compelling someone can cause problems too." Esme said.

"What do you mean?" Regina asked, clearly not happy her plan wouldn't work.

"Well, constantly seeing you might trigger something. Although she wont remember that you're her sister, she may remember her feelings towards you and-"

"What exactly are you saying?" Regina stated.

"I'm saying that it would be best if you kept your distance for as long as possible. She wont remember who you are or why, but she could still hate you."

"So what exactly do you suggest?"

"I suggest that i implant a new memory. Instead of eliminating you from hers, i could compel her to see that you's made good. Telling her that you and her have been close for years would, hopefully, eliminate the hatred element."

"But wouldn't seeing me still trigger some of the hatred?"

"I don't think so. If i tell her you apologised, she will think that she's won already." Esme explained.

"Okay. But only if everyone agrees to it, okay? Including you," Regina said, looking at Henry. She wanted to protect him from as much of this as possible, but she knew he would find out about this and needed to make sure he was okay with the plan before she went ahead. She was nervous, when he paused for a few seconds, however as well as being moral, he is fiercely loyal and agreed to side with his mother over Zelena.

"She's a monster, mom. I think this is a good plan. A really great plan, actually. I'm proud of you." Esme loved seeing Henry and Regina; he brought out this soft side in her as well as the fierce on and now, Esme saw it was the same for him; Esme knew Regina would do anything for her son, but it was nice to be reminded her son would do anything for Regina.

"I'll walk Esme there tonight and th-"

"Henry you aren't coming with me!" Esme said, surprised Henry would think she would ever let him put himself in that amount of danger.

"What? Why?!"

"Because Emma is still out there somewhere and as volatile as ever! What if she comes for Zelena again and you're caught in the crossfire? Nope, not happening squirt. Sorry," Esme explained.

"B-"

"No Henry, she's right." Regina said, trying to sit up a little but she was still in a lot of pain. Esme unplugged herself so that she could find Regina's button for raising her bed. After finding it at Henry's foot, Henry gave Esme his chair and stood behind her, pouting that his plan to be a hero had been ruined.

"We protect because we care kiddo," Esme kidded, lowering her head back so that Henry could see her face. She immediately wished that she hadn't because it made her feel dizzy, but Henry's mood seemed to lighten, albeit slightly, when she was punished by her own brain for mocking him.

"Okay, sissy!" Henry joked, hoping to lighten the mood; Esme laughed but Regina didn't.

"Henry!" Regina said, amazed he would even kid about such a lie.

"What? She could be-" Esme knew that he was intending to just carry on his joke but Regina wasn't seeing it like that at all so Esme stepped in.

"Henry, don't. What if you accidentally say that in front of Robin or Roland?"

"So..? We aren't telling them about the plan?"

"We can tell them about the compelling. But i don't see why we should tell them about..well me," Esme said.

"B-"

"It's not true Henry!" Esme said, beginning to get angry that he wouldn't let this drop. He could trigger something and break the spell and fulfil Zelena's wished without even realising it.

"We don't know that!"

"Yes we do! They didn't meet before here! How could i be-"

"I told you-"

"I'm not Regina and Robin's daughter Henry! Drop it!" Esme was a lot harsher than she wanted to be with Henry but she needed him to understand that all of this talk had to stop. It wasn't fair to anyone involved, especially her; dangling this family in-front of her with the only possible outcome being her leaving them somehow didn't seem fair.

"Our what?"

Robin was standing in the doorway.


	22. Chapter 22

Silence. That is the only thing filled the room. Esme couldn't think of anything to say that would amend this horrible situation. She could see that Henry was staring at her, waiting for her to fix it, but she didn't know if she could; she had gone from not wanting either of them to know, to them both finding out accidentally within minutes of one another. Esme turned to look at Regina who was staring at Robin, clearly worried about what he would think. Robin looked at her, utterly confused and she couldn't not speak.

"Didn't you hear me?" Robin said, clearly angry that nobody had answered him.

"Our what?" He shouted

"Daughter! Your daughter! But I can explain th-" Esme said, trying to diffuse the tension that had now built up in the room.

"Oh! Please do!" Robin walked into the room and immediately went to the bottom of Regina's bed.

"Okay… And I will, i swear, but it's a very long story so maybe we should wait till-" Esme said, trying to calm him down but it was working. She had got up off her chair to try and take his hand but he recoiled at the attempt. She had never seen Robin this angry; he usually went straight to Regina and made a joke but now he seemed disgusted that they had betrayed him.

"Really? You're going with wait a while, are you? You say that you are somehow Regina and I's daughter but of course i'll wait. Its not as if its something important or anything!" Robin's interruption made Esme jump, his anger evident in every word. The sarcasm also achieved its intended purpose; it made Esme feel stupid for suggesting he wait under the circumstances. She looked at Regina who looked bewildered. She had only learned of this a few moments before hand so couldn't help Robin contemplate the events; she hadn't done so herself. She simply held out her hand, and hoped that he took it. He didn't.

"She knew nothing about this." Esme saw the hurt in Regina's eyes that Robin refused to take her hand; Esme couldn't help but feel guilty. Robin looked at Esme, not sure as to whether or not he could trust her.

"I promise." Esme looked at him with appealing eyes, and thankfully this seemed to do the trick. He quickly took Regina's hand and sat by her side, anxious to make sure she was alright.

"How is it even..-" Robin started to ask, but he had so many questions that he was trying to answer in his mind that he couldn't quite voice all of them.

"It isn't," Esme began. Henry was holding his mother's hand and Esme's, trying to provide them both with comfort, and it was working, so Esme tried, again, to take Robin's. She hoped that somehow, this gesture would prove that she was with him, and not against him; he had done so much for her, she hated the thought of thinking, even for a moment, that she had schemed against him.

"It was Zelena who brought me here. She is under the impression that I am Regina's daughter, who she gave up either before or after falling under a memory spell. Zelena wants me to somehow break this memory spell." Esme knew that this was a basic overview of events, but she didn't want to overwhelm him, or an already weak Regina, any further.

"Why?" Robin said, still confused.

"Why what?" Henry piped in. Esme was glad to be out of the hot-seat but Henry was nervous about what could happen. He knew that anything could trigger the breaking of the spell and was terrified about what it would do to his mom. What if she was so overcome with rage she returned to her dark ways? Or what if it was all too much for her to bear; she was already so weak?

"Why does she want you to break the spell? What will that achieve? Regina would gain a daughter?" Robin explained.

"Well she wants to destroy her, so i don't think she's expecting Regina to be happy about it. We don't know what Zelena thinks happened but if I was given away after the spell, she could be overwhelmed by all of the unanswered questions. If i was taken from her, she could be overcome by that pain. Or maybe i ran away and i have been put under the same spell, i honestly don't remember. Everything would come flooding back all at once; it could ruin her."

"What if that doesn't happen? Regina's strong, stronger than you give her credit for, so what if she reacts well?"

"She'll probably k-" Esme began.

"She won't. We're not gonna let that happen!" Henry was squeezing Esme's hand, willing her to forget the notion that she was all alone in the world.

"Won't let what happen?" Robin said as his confusion grew.

"Esme thinks Zelena will kill her," Henry exclaimed.

"She will! What would be worse than gaining a daughter and then losing her!" Esme realised she was bickering with Henry again and so drew her attention back to Robin.

"But that's all we know. I swear."

"When did you find all of this out?" Robin said.

Esme was dreading this question because she knew that her keeping this secret from them would make them feel deceived. She realised that now that the secret was out, she needed to tell them everything; honesty was the only way to make sure they knew Zelena's plan and were safe.

"Since i met her in her cell."

"What?! You were told that we were your parents for almost 2 months and said nothing!" Robin stood up; he was incensed again and when Esme looked at Regina, she didn't look much happier; Esme realised she hadn't told Regina that detail. Ironically, Regina seemed to be the one that had been keeping him calm but now that she was angry, Robin was getting worse; he was now pacing the room while Esme desperately tried to explain.

"No! No! Only that I was apparently Regina's daughter! It was Henry who came up with me being yours, after last night!" She realised she had just landed Henry in it and so looked at him apologetically, a look he replied to with a calming smile.

"Last night?!" an irate Robin exclaimed.

"When I got through Regina's spell to get to the boys. Regina used your blood in the protection spell, so i shouldn't have been able to get through unless we were-"

"Related." Robin was now back by Regina's side but it seemed this latest revelation was too much and he had to sit down, holding his head. Esme noticed he had been prone to headaches ever since her arrival, but this one seemed particularly painful.

"Are you okay?" Esme asked, concerned as he seemed to be in quite a lot of pain.

"I'm fine. Is it possible?" he said, as he turned to Regina, who had managed to sit up, looking at him with concern.

"Is what possible?" she said as she caressed his head, running her fingers through his hair.

"For Esme to get through the barrier without being related."

"I… I don't see how, but there has to be an explanation! We didn't even meet 20 years ago!"

"Actually it's closer to 33 years ago…" Esme said with an awkward smile, not particularly surprised at the confused looks that she got. Henry looked at her with a confused look, unsure as to why Esme was now throwing everything at them both.

"What! There has been a change of plan. If total honesty is the only way to keep you all safe, then honesty it is," Esme whispered to Henry. She was however grateful that it was Henry who explained her odd ageing process to Regina and Robin as she wanted time to watch them. Although she didn't want to admit it, she was becoming convinced that all of this could be a possibility, and as she watched, she thought that Robin and Regina did too. They held each other's hands as if they were lost and Esme didn't blame them; this was a lot to take in, so they clung to one of the things that remained constant. Esme spent so long studying them both that she didn't notice that Henry had went off topic.

"And you may have met. Before all of this i mean." He said as he got up to get his bag pack.

"What?" Esme, Regina and Robin said in almost perfect unison.

"When Esme was watching us, this appeared in the book." He showed them both the page that appeared to them in to story book all those weeks ago. Robin looked at the image that depicted him and Regina walking hand in hand, and he was amazed. He had dreamt of that, being able to simply walk with the woman he loved, hold her hand, tell her how much he loved her and how sorry he was he had let her down but he couldn't. There was always something going on, some crisis to stop; this image showed him what he desired most. Regina looked at the page and thought of what could have been; here she was in her youth, walking hand in hand with the man she was destined to marry. If she had gone into that bar, they would maybe be married and have children of their own by now.

"I think this, and page 23, are-" Henry began.

"Memories," Esme said with astonishment.

"Memories," Henry smiled before continuing.

"I think that while Zelena was summoning Esme, somehow that triggered something and the book has been trying to show you your memories, your true memories…"

Esme hadn't heard this theory but she was fascinated by it. She loved the idea of someone or something working for Regina and Robin instead of against, but it all seemed so far-fetched and, by the looks on Regina and Robin's faces, she wasn't the only one to think so. Henry's explanation seemed to mess with everyones minds and so they sat in silence for several minutes, digesting all of the information.

"This isn't true.." Regina said, staring into the distance, trying to piece everything together.

"It can't be.." sighed Robin, still rubbing his temples.

"It is!" Henry said. He was so frustrated they weren't willing to accept that this was even a possibility.

"Henry." Esme took his hand again, trying to make him calm down.

"What about a DNA test or something-" Henry began but Regina cut him off.

"That'll take days. No, we need this resolved now." She was not into Evil Queen mode; her face was emotionless and her logic was cold, which was a terrifying sight even though she still looked weak.

"How?" Robin said, imploring her to explain.

"A blood test."

"Ummm, i don't think that thats conc-" Henry began but, again, Regina interrupted.

"A magic blood test. Henry pass me that dish on the table," the evil queen commanded and Henry immediately obeyed. She then took out one of the needles in her arm and pricked her index finger before carefully placing one drop of blood into the dish. She then asked Robin and Esme for theirs and carried out the same process, placing each drop in a triangular formation.

"If you are our daughter, your blood will divide into two and join our drops. If not, your drop will stay where it is," Regina explained before she said something Esme didn't quite pick up and waved her hand across the dish. Regina held the bowl, and the four of them watched the bowl attentively for what felt like hours; nothing happened. After a few moments, Regina confidently put the bowl on her own table, looking terribly pleased that this was all just a game Zelena was a trying to play.

"Well, that settles that nonse-"

"Mom! " Henry said, making everyone jump.

"What!" Regina said, instinctively grabbing his arm protectively.

"Look!" Henry grabbed the bowl and placed it in front of Regina. Robin and Esme immediately stood up to see the content and had to sit back down; there were now two drops of blood, not three.

"Does..does that mean.." Esme began but her head felt woozy. She had become so focussed on Henry's theory not being true that she had never really considered what it would be like if they were a family.

"I don't understand.." Regina said, still looking at the bowl, waiting for some kind of explanation. She couldn't understand any of this. She didn't see how there was any spell that could make her just forget about having a daughter. And what about Robin? She wouldn't just forget about meeting him. Esme was staring into space, trying to process everything that was happening; she had gone from being on the run, with no one, to having a mom, a dad and two step brothers and she couldn't deny that any more. Could she stay here? Would they want her to? Would it feel like she was a part of their family? Esme couldn't gather her thoughts, but her questions were interrupted by Henry jumping out of his chair and shouting "Robin!"

Esme looked and Robin was doubled over, clutching his head and wailing in pain. Regina immediately began unplugging herself from the machines but she barely got herself unplugged form one when she too began clutching her head.

"Regina!" Esme was on her way to Robin but returned to help Regina when she saw her doubled over. Both Robin and Regina were howling and clothing their heads while Esme and Henry looked on helplessly.

"What's going on?!" Henry screamed!

"I don't know! I-" And then Esme remembered something.

"The spell…" Esme said, thinking aloud.

"What?" Henry screamed, trying to hug Robin while Esme hugged Regina.

"It isn't a spell! Henry, they were compelled! They were compelled to forget me, and now that they know…"

"Now that they know, what?"

"It's broken! Henry we've just given Zelena exactly what she wants!"

"How do you know?" Henry said, desperately trying to help both Robin and Regina.

"A witch. I can't believe i didn't think of it sooner, i-"

"Think of what, Esme?!"

"An ordinary witch couldn't access the amount of power it would take to make a spell that would make someone forget their daughter." Esme paused, screamed for help and then continued.

"But a seer could. A powerful seer could compel someone to do it…"

"Well, what happens now!"

"The witch said compelling is like re-wiring the brain. When it's broken-!" Esme tailed off, trying to remember every word the witch said.

"What? What happens Esme!?"

"I don't know!"

Esme and Henry held them both and were helpless as they watched the two slip into unconsciousness.


End file.
